


Speak Now

by datleggy



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: And they're right, Angst, Chim and Maddie think they're idiots, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Misunderstandings, Team as Family, buck and eddie have such a crush on each other and they don't even KNOW, fake dating au, hurt Buck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2019-10-12
Packaged: 2020-11-24 11:24:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 25,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20906870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/datleggy/pseuds/datleggy
Summary: Fake Dating AU idea from a tumblr post that got out of hand the minute I started writing.Eddie lies to Shannon about being in a serious relationship when she wants to re-enter his and Christopher's lives, and of course the person he asks to be his pretend significant other is none other than Evan Buckley, because what are bros for?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this is an AU so I took liberties with the character's backstories (specifically Bucks)

“Wait, what?” 

“I’m with someone.” Eddie says, lying straight through his teeth. 

Shannon folds her arms over her chest. “I’m your wife, I know when you’re lying. You’re not seeing anyone.” 

Eddie actually bristles at that. “We might still be married, but you haven’t been my _ ‘wife’ _ in a very long time. And I’m not lying.” 

“You’ve only been in LA for a few months. There’s no way you’re in a serious relationship with anyone. I’m sure the only people you see besides your abuela and Christopher are your coworkers.” she claims, but now she sounds a little less skeptical, her brow furrowing up with doubt.

Eddie doesn’t even think twice about it, before saying. “He’s a co-worker.” 

Shannon blinks. “‘He’? Who? I want to meet him.” 

“It’s none of your business.” 

“That’s where you’re wrong. Look, I realize I haven’t been there for Christopher the way I should have been, and I promise that’s going to change, but I’m still his mother, and I think I deserve to know who’s a part of his life now. Especially if it’s as _ ‘serious’ _ as you seem to believe.” she stands her ground. 

Eddie stands his, too. “Fine. Dinner then. Friday night. I’ll text you the details.” 

“Fine.” 

And that is how Eddie Diaz ends up asking Evan Buckley on their first “date”. 

“So, if you could do me this solid I promise I will do your share of all the chores on the chart for the next millennia. I’ll even do the toilets, Buck.” he swears, desperate. 

Buckley can’t help it. He laughs. Hard. 

Eddie grimaces. “You could just say no, y’know.” he’s not going to lie, it’s not like he was expecting much, but he hadn’t thought Evans’ response would sting the way it does. 

Buck, still laughing, shakes his head, holding up a hand. “No, no, that’s not--yes, of course I’ll be your fake boyfriend, Ed.” he chuckles. “I just can’t believe you got yourself into like, the most rom-com movie trope situation, _ ever _. And that I’m the first person you’d think to ask?” he pauses. “Wait, I am your first choice, right?” 

Eddie just stares at him in disbelief. “So, yes? Seriously?” 

Buck nods. “Duh, I’ve got your back dude. But for real though, I was your _ first _ choice right?” 

“No, I asked Cap first, but he didn’t think Shannon would buy that I was into dilfs.” he replies, deadpan. 

Buck gags. “Eddie, gross, that’s our dad--I mean, _ CAP _! Ugh, stop, don’t say anything, that’ll be my payment for this whole thing, we never speak of this conversation again, please.” 

It’s Eddie’s turn to laugh now. “Oh, no, we’re definitely gonna’ talk about this again.” he gently flicks Bucks’ ear, noting how red they’ve both gotten. 

Buckley goes even more red. “How is it that I’m the one embarrassing myself even in this situation? How did you turn this around on me?” 

Eddie puts an arm around his shoulder and squeezes. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep this between us. Now c’mon, let’s go see what dad’s cookin’ up for dinner tonight.” 

“I hate you.” Buck moans, but doesn’t push the other man away as they make their way upstairs. 

“Have you thought about what you’re gonna’ wear?” Chimney asks. 

Buck shrugs. “Not really. I figured a polo and khakis would be ok?” 

“Why not a Henley? Those look good on you.” 

“Polos don’t look good on me?” 

“They’re fine, sure, but polos are very, I don’t know, they’ve got that ‘meeting the parents’ vibe going on. And Henleys? Henleys are definitely meeting the ex shirts.” Chim advises sagely. 

Hen spritzes the two men with her hose. “Are you two gonna’ keep gossipping or actually help me wash this truck?” 

They immediately pick up their sponges and squeegees. “Sorry Hen.” they chorus. 

“But for the record, Chim’s right. Go with a Henley.” 

Buck still has no idea how within the last twenty four hours, since he’d agreed to be Eddie’s fake boyfriend, pretty much everyone at the station and their mothers found out about it. 

Even Bobby chimes in with a “Go with the blue one, it makes your eyes pop.” over dinner that night. 

Buck has been very chill about the whole thing, really. 

Totally and absolutely chill. 

He doesn’t spend an hour choosing between different shades of blue Henleys or wondering whether he should go with black jeans or the grey khakis instead. Nope. Not at all. 

And he definitely doesn’t group text Chim, Hen and Bobby for opinions. 

He doesn’t know why he’s so nervous, suddenly. 

It’s not like this is real. He’s not actually meeting his boyfriend’s ex. 

It’s just pretend. 

  


He gets to Eddies’ house an hour and a half early, like they agreed on.

It smells like something is burning.

Eddie opens the front door, looking a disheveled mess. 

“I burnt the casserole.” he sighs, and then leans his forehead against Buck’s shoulder in dismay. 

Buck feels all of the nervous energy bundled inside dissipate as he tries not to laugh at Eddies’ current predicament. “Go shower and get dressed, I’ll figure something out.” he pats the back of his neck encouragingly and sends him upstairs with a gentle shove. 

By the time Eddie’s out of the shower and dressed, Buck is in the kitchen, wearing one of his aprons, putting a tray on the counter. 

“That smells amazing, is that lasagna? I didn’t think I had the ingredients for a lasagna.” 

Buck shakes his head. “I ran to the store real quick. You need to go grocery shopping, dude. Anyway, I just put the garlic bread in there to bake, so it should only be another five minutes. Just gotta’ let the lasagna cool for a little bit.” 

Eddie sighs. “Yeah, sorry about that, we usually eat at my grandma’s, so my fridge isn’t really stocked. How much did all this cost? I’ll pay you back right now--” 

Buck holds up a hand, “Relax, it’s what fake boyfriends are for. Plus, you can feed the leftovers to Christopher tomorrow when he gets home, so no big.” 

Christopher is at his grandmothers’ right now; the kid has no idea that his mom is even back in the picture yet. Buck hopes that out of everyone involved, it’s Christopher who comes out unscathed. The kid deserves the world. 

“I’m gonna’ find a way to repay you, Buck. You’re seriously a lifesaver.” 

Buck grins. “I know.” 

Eddie smiles back, but then looks at the clock in the kitchen and his face turns serious. “I asked you to come here early so we could talk about uh, boundaries, and now we’ve got like five minutes before Shannon gets over here. I’m sorry.” 

Buck shrugs. “You really need to stop apologizing. And uh, I guess I’m cool with whatever, like, I don’t mind if you hold my hand or if we,” he coughs, “kiss? Like, not with tongue, I mean, just, you know, like, a peck or something is cool with me.” 

Eddie clears his throat. “Yeah, no, absolutely. The tongue I mean, no tongue. Just like, you know, just act natural. It’s not like she’s gonna’ demand we declare our love for each other in front of her. Just act like usual, but with, you know ...” 

Buck nods. “Yeah, totally.” even though he has no idea what comes after the ‘you know…’ 

This is weird. Or rather, it should be way weirder than it is. He doesn’t think any straight guy would be “cool” with kissing their straight guy friend. 

Though, is Eddie straight? He told his ex-wife he’s in a relationship with another man, after all. Surely he could have pretended to be seeing a woman. 

Buck shakes those thoughts away. The only other woman Eddie knows in town is Hen, and Buck doubts she would have said yes to this whole fake dating thing. It makes sense that Eddie would ask him instead. 

“You good?” Eddie asks, when the doorbell rings a minute later. 

Buck gives him two thumbs up. “Ready Eddie.” 

Eddie rolls his eyes but smiles despite himself. 

When he opens the door, Shannon is standing on the other side, wearing a little black dress that hits all the right curves on her body. Her long brown locks are curled so that they rest delicately on her shoulders, and she’s wearing a gorgeous shade of red that makes her lips _ pop _. 

If this were a real meet the ex date, Buck would be worried. 

“Shannon.” Eddie nods for her to step in. “This is my boyfriend, Evan.” Hearing Eddie call him by his real name makes the butterflies in his stomach flutter for some reason Buck doesn’t really want to look into right now. 

“Hi, you can call me Buck.” he reaches out to shake her hand and isn’t particularly surprised when she ignores it entirely. 

“Hello.” she greets him coldly. “Nice to meet you.” the words sound like she’s gritting them out through clenched teeth. 

“Uh, likewise. I made dinner, everything should be ready by now, so if you guys wanna’ go catch up in the dining room I’ll bring the food out in a minute.” with that, he makes his way back into the kitchen, all the while feeling her eyes on the back of his head like pointy hot pincers. 

“I’ll help.” Eddie volunteers two seconds later, leaving Shannon to sit in the dining room alone. 

“I’m pretty sure she hates my guts.” Buck whispers, once they’re out of earshot. 

Eddie nods in agreement. “Yeah, one hundred percent. Sorry, I swear I will make this up to you.” 

Buck rolls his eyes. “You’re acting like I’ve never dealt with an angry ex before.” he shoves him gently with his hip and orders him to get the garlic bread out of the oven. 

“You’re bossier than my drill sergeant in the army, y’know.” Eddie laughs. 

Buck sticks his tongue out at him. 

  


Shannon’s brought a bottle of wine for dinner, so they open that and Eddie serves everyone a hearty glass while Buck cuts them all a piece of the lasagna and tells Shannon to help herself to some bread. 

Her icy “thank you” sounds a lot more like “fuck you”, but Buck keeps his mouth shut. 

“So when did you two start dating?” she asks, though the way she leans in for the answer, the questions comes off more like the start of an interrogation. 

“A couple of weeks after we met at the station.” Eddie replies. Thankfully they had all week to work on their story. 

“That’s fast.” she comments dryly. 

Buck shrugs. “Well, you know what they say, when you know, you know.” 

Shannon gives him a smile that’s all teeth. “In some cases.” she takes a big sip of her wine. “We’re still married, you know.” 

“What I know is that you’re separated.” he retorts nonchalantly, ignoring the wide-eyed look he gets from Eddie across the table. 

“Not legally.” she touches the ring around her finger as a not so subtle reminder of the bond they still share. “So you didn’t have a problem with the fact that Ed has a child?” 

“No, not at all. Christopher’s a really great kid.” Bucky replies genuinely. 

The answer obviously rubs her the wrong way. “How old are you?” 

“Uh, twenty-seven.” he replies, unsure why the question has come up at all. 

“That’s pretty young to be raising someone else’s kid.” 

“Shannon, that’s enough.” Eddie cuts in sharply. 

“Christopher is a child with special needs, I’m just concerned that someone who’s never had a child of their own doesn’t understand the responsibility that comes with raising someone else’s!” she half yells. 

“That’s rich, coming from you.” Eddie’s gripping his fork so tight Buck thinks it might snap in two. 

“I needed some time!” Shannon deflects. “I was always going to come back!” 

“That would have been nice to know! No answers to my phone calls or text messages, you refused to meet, refused to even _ see _Christopher! How were we supposed to know you planned on coming back whenever you felt like it?” Eddie yells back. “Christopher isn’t some toy you can pack away and decide you want to play with again at your earliest convenience!” 

Shannon reels back like she’s been slapped. She slams her hand on the table and gets up, snatching her purse. “We’re not done here!” she walks out without another word, and Eddie doesn’t try and stop her. 

“So...that um, went...well?” Buck cringes. He’s never been great at the whole comforting thing. He wishes Hen were here. She would know what to say. 

Eddie sighs, loud and deep. “I’m sorry for dragging you into this mess. I don’t know why--I just, I got so flustered and angry seeing her again after so long. I needed her to see that I’ve moved on, that I’m doing well without her, that Christopher’s happy now, and she shouldn’t ruin that by walking in and out of his life however the hell she pleases.” 

“I mean, _have_ you moved on?” Buck prods. 

Eddie looks up at him. “I…I don’t know. She’s my kids’ mom, and at some point I loved her, of course. But now? I don’t know. I can’t even think about it. I just need to protect Christopher.” 

Buck nods. “I think you should call her. Tell her you need more time to think, maybe a couple of weeks? Just so she has a timeline. And I don’t know, it’s not my place, but I think you two should try to come to some kind of compromise, for Christopher’s sake.” 

Eddie sighs again. “I’m still so mad at her for leaving, I don’t know if I can. Just the thought of her deciding to leave Christopher again when it all gets too much? No warning, nothing, just...leaving. It makes me see red.” 

“I get that.” 

“Do you?” 

Buck shrugs, looking a little uncomfortable. “Not to turn it into the ‘me’ story, but um, my dad left us when I was about Christopher’s age. He just up and left, decided a family wasn’t what he wanted anymore. Maddie was older, so she got how selfish it was, for him to leave like that, but I just wanted my dad back, I thought maybe it was my fault, you know? 

“Anyway, he died when I turned eighteen; cancer. And that’s when my mom showed me and Maddie all these letters she’d kept from us that he’d sent over the years. I was furious. I couldn’t believe how she could do that. We’re better now, but at the time I was so angry I decided to dorm and moved out as soon as I could. I realize now it was her way of protecting us from getting hurt again, but a part of me still wishes I’d have been given the choice, at least.” 

Buck is barely finished talking before he’s engulfed in a big warm embrace. 

“Thank you.” Eddie tells him, tightening the hug briefly. “You didn’t have to tell me all that, but you did. I know it couldn’t have been easy. So, thank you.” Eddie actually feels a little lighter. He hadn’t really stopped to consider it from any other perspective but his own, until now. 

Buck blushes in embarrassment. He’s not so great at being vulnerable; his dad’s always been a touchy subject, but he’s glad he was able to help Eddie, even if just a tiny bit. 

  
  


“So?” 

“So what?” 

Maddie rolls her eyes. “Oh my god Buck, please don’t be dense, how did the date go?” 

“Ok, well, first of all, not a real date so…” Buck shakes his head. “And fine, I guess. I mean, Eddie’s got a lot to deal with. And uh, his ex-wife for sure hates me now.” 

Maddie purses her lips. “What’s gonna’ happen if Eddie and Shannon decide to get back together?” 

Buck tilts his head, “What do you mean?” 

“I mean, you’re definitely not invited to the wedding.” 

Buck blinks. That’s not even a possibility he’d considered until just this very moment. “Well...they won’t, so, it doesn’t matter.” 

Maddie stares at him. “Evan, it’s a very real possibility. They have a child together, and aren’t they still married?” 

“Only on paper.” he argues. 

“Hey, look, I’m not trying to pick a fight. I’m just worried that you two haven’t exactly considered all the ramifications of your little agreement. And just F.Y.I., you’re the one stuck with the crap end of the deal. Aren’t you two best bros or whatever? I doubt his ex-wife would be cool with you two still ‘hanging out’ if they get back together. Most people aren’t so understanding. And I really doubt Eddie would want to tell her he made up the whole fake relationship thing to get her jealous, after the fact.” 

“Woah, woah, wait, first of all, he didn’t lie to make her jealous. He did it so she’d leave him alone. And secondly! They’re not getting back together, so just leave it!” Buck marches off, leaving Maddie with way too much Chinese food on the couch, by herself. 

He’s not even hungry anymore. 

He had, perhaps too eagerly, accepted the role of fake boyfriend, without actually giving it more thought than ‘it’s what any friend would do’, and now…

Now what? 

He really likes Eddie. Maybe not initially. But after he’d gotten past his own silly jealousy, he’d realized how much they actually have in common, and how well they got along. 

He and Eddie have undeniable chemistry. He doesn’t want to lose Eddie’s friendship over this, but how would he go about voicing his concerns? 

“I took your advice.” Eddie tells him, the next time they’re at the station together. 

“Oh yeah?” 

Eddie nods. “We went to lunch, just the two of us, and talked. I agreed to let her see Christopher, supervised scheduled visits for now. I decided you were right, Christopher deserves a choice.” 

Buck smiles warmly. “I’m glad.” and he is, of course. But something in him stirs uneasily. “So I guess you don’t need your fake boyfriend anymore, huh?” he jokes. 

Eddie laughs, “Well, actually--” 

“Ed!” 

The two firefighters jump in surprise at the familiar voice. 

“Shannon?” Eddie turns around, a look of confusion on his face. “What are you doing here?” 

Shannon’s smile disappears the moment she spots Buck, but instead of saying hello, she ignores him and turns to her ex-husband. “Just, you know, wanted to say thank you again, for compromising with me the other day, that was really big of you. Here.” she hands him a box of pastries. “I thought you and the team could share these.” 

“Oh, um, thanks, that’s nice, you didn’t have to.” Eddie turns to Buck, and without warning, he grabs him around the waist and holds him close. “If there’s anyone you should actually thank, it’s Evan. He’s the one who helped convince me to talk to you again after last weeks’ dinner.” 

Buck, after recovering from his initial shock, shakes his head. “It’s no big deal, really. I’m glad you guys are working things out, for Christopher.” 

Shannon nods curtly. “Thank you.” the words are practically ripped from her throat like knives, the way she says them. 

Buck nods. “No problem. I uh, I should get going, the Cap needs me to get those incident reports on his desk by this afternoon. It was nice seeing you again.” he says, and then without even a moments’ thought, he turns to Eddie, who still has an arm wrapped around his waist, and kisses him goodbye. 

It’s nothing crazy. Just a tiny little, barely on the lips peck. And Bucky doesn’t know where the hell it came from. 

It’s automatic, and it’s not until he’s halfway up the stairs of the station, and Chim is staring at him with huge eyes at the top, mouthing ‘DUDE!’ at him, that the kiss even registers in his head. 

Buck fast-walks all the way to the locker room, Chim two steps behind him the whole way. The door closes behind them and Chim bursts. “Oh. My. God.”

Buck covers his face with both hands and moans. “Shut up.” 

Chim starts laughing so hard he has to hold his sides. “I’m sorry! Did you see her face?! Oh my god, no, wait, did you see Eddie’s face?! Wait, wait, are you even seeing _ your _face right now?!” 

Buck doesn’t want to look at his own face. He knows damn well that he’s red as a tomato, thank you very much. “You are zero help.” he whines, crouching further into himself. “I literally could’ve done _ anything else _ ! Like, a pat on the back goodbye, or uh, I don’t know, even a hug or something, why did I _ kiss _him?!” 

Chim stops laughing. “Wait, seriously?” 

“What?” 

“Oh my god, you don’t even know.” 

“Know what?” 

“You are _ so _into Eddie, Buck, and he is very clearly into you; are you two for real right now?” Chim shakes his head. “There’s a limit to how dumb men can be, and I’m calling it, this is it. Maddie was right, you guys are oblivious.” 

Buck snaps his head up to look at him. “Ok, so, you and my sister need to stop talking, preferably forever, thanks. And also, I’m not into Eddie. I just, we’re friends, I like him as a _ friend _. If he decides to get back together with Shannon, then good for him. I don’t care.” 

“Right, I’m gonna’ go ahead and give you two love birds some space now.” Chim says, passing Eddie on his way out of the locker room. 

Buck thinks he might die of embarrassment. How long has Eddie been standing there? How much of this conversation did he overhear? God, now would be an amazing time for the ground to open up and swallow him whole. 

“Hey, I’m sorry about that, that was really awkward. I just, I don’t know why I did that?” Buck looks down at his feet. 

“No no, don’t apologize, you’re fine. I’m the one who put you in that position in the first place, if anything it’s my fault. Plus, it’s not like we didn’t agree on that before, so no harm, no foul, yeah?” Eddie sits next to him on the bench. “Not to mention it got Shannon out of my hair.” 

Buck scoffs. “Oh man, I bet she’s gonna go home and do voodoo on a doll of me.” 

“If it was my abuela, then yeah, probably. But with Shannon, I think you’re safe, bud.” Eddie reassures him with a smirk. 

“Well, your grandma loves me, so, one less thing to worry about.” 

Eddie laughs. “I don’t know about ‘love’.” 

“She totally does. We’ve bonded.” Buck brags. 

Eddie rolls his eyes. “Whatever you say.” he turns away for a moment, his face scrunching up. “Um, I need you to know, I’m not getting back together with Shannon.” 

Buck starts at the change in subject. So he did hear Chim and his conversation. “It’s none of my business.” 

“I’ve kind of made it your business.” Eddie scooches closer to him on the bench. “I really like you Evan.” 

Buck’s heart goes straight to his throat and he can’t find the words he’s looking for. He’s quiet for too long. 

“As a friend, I mean, obviously.” Eddie backtracks, when the silence goes on for an uncomfortable amount of time. 

“Obviously.” Buck repeats. Why is he disappointed by that? 

“Yeah, and um, I appreciate everything you’re doing for me. I know it’s a pain in the ass.” 

Buck shrugs. “Anytime. Really, if you need another fake boyfriend appearance I’m here for ya’.” he turns to smile at Eddie, to show him there are no hard feelings, and suddenly notices how close their faces are to one another. If he just moved a good five centimeters forward… 

“Thanks.” Eddie gets up abruptly, and the moment is over. 

Eddie takes him up on that offer only a week and a half later. 

“I am so sorry to ask, but I literally have no one else.” 

“This is definitely not what I had in mind, but I did offer, so it’s cool. I love hanging out with Christopher.” Buck brushes it off. What he doesn’t love is the idea of also hanging out with Shannon of all people. 

One of Shannon’s scheduled visits with Christopher was coming up, and with Eddies’ grandmother in the hospital still, and Eddie working an extra shift that day, there would be no one else available to supervise. 

“I know supervised visits sound kind of harsh, especially since she’s his mother, but I can’t trust her, not yet.” Eddie explains. 

Buck understands. It’s hard to trust someone who could so easily pack up and leave without so much as a word or backward glance. God forbid she decided to do so with Christopher in tow. The thought is one he’d rather not entertain. 

“This is only their second visit. I think Christopher’s happy to have her back. He was pretty shy at first, but it makes sense, seeing that he only vaguely remembers her from when he was still really little.” 

Buck smiles, “That’s good. Oh, by the way, does Chris know about me being your pretend boyfriend?” 

“I told him about it after my lunch with Shannon a couple of weeks ago, I figured he could keep our secret. He knows she and I aren’t on the best of terms.” Eddie shrugs. “Also he thinks it’s hilarious that I’ve roped you into this.” 

Buck laughs. “Of course he does.” 

Shannon is vexed. 

Buck can tell. 

She keeps giving him these dirty looks whenever Christopher’s not looking. It’s not the first time he’s been under the scrutinizing gaze of an angry woman, but the situation certainly feels new, in this context. 

Buck doesn’t want to intrude. He’s just there to supervise, after all. So he sits a few feet away, on the lazy boy lounge chair, scrolling through his phone, occasionally looking up to make sure everything is going alright. 

Shannon’s brought Christopher several new action figures, and a giant strawberry banana shake from the fruit shack nearby, in hopes of bribing back some of the unconditional love her son once felt for her. 

He’s laughing and playing happily with her, and she’s really starting to think that this could work, she can win his affections back and be his mom again! 

Once Eddie sees how much Christopher has missed her, he’ll reconsider and maybe they can all be a family again. Everything can go back to normal. She can take her rightful place, as though she’d never even left it. 

“Buck!” 

She’s startled out of her thoughts when Christopher calls for the one person she’d rather forget was here at all. She’s insulted that Eddie thinks she needs a babysitter to be with her own kid. 

Buck gets up and walks over. “What’s up, superman?” 

“Bathroom please.” he asks, raising his hands for the required help he needs to get up off the floor. 

Shannon sits up. “Christopher, honey, I can take you.” 

Christopher looks unsure when he looks between the two of them. “Want Buck to take me.” he finally decides. Buck has helped him before. Sometimes people make him feel awkward or weird for asking for help with things like eating or taking toilet breaks, but Buckley’s not like those people. 

He knows this woman is his estranged mother, but it’s only his second time seeing her in as many weeks, and he’s not so comfortable yet around her as he is with Buck and Carla. 

Buck cringes inwardly, this is another strike against him in Shannons’ eyes for sure. “Alright, up we go.” he bends down to scoop the kid up, but is stopped when Shannon interferes, putting herself between the two. 

“I’m his mom. I can do it.” she insists. 

“He’s still adjusting, don’t take it personally.” 

“Don’t tell me what to do. Now move, I’m taking him.” 

Buck blinks, shocked. “Shannon, let me take him and we can talk about this later.” 

“I’m not comfortable with you taking my son to the bathroom.” she folds her arms over her chest and refuses to yield. 

“Bucky pleaaase.” Christopher half-whines, “Gotta go.” 

Buckley grimaces. “Bud, do you mind if your mom takes you this time? I’ll be right outside the door, ok?” 

Christopher makes a face, clearly ill at ease. “No, I want you Buck. Please.” 

“I can take him!” Shannon continues, talking over Christopher. 

Buck shakes his head at her stubbornness and tries to go around her to get Christopher, but she sidesteps quickly, so that Buck ends up bumping into her instead. “Don’t push me!” she shouts, grabbing her arm as though injured. 

“Woah, hey, no, I did _ not _ push you lady!” Buck cannot believe the situation he’s in right now. Any judge in court would absolutely rule in favor of Shannon, if she were to tell anyone he laid so much as a finger on her. God. “Your son has to go to the bathroom, just let me _ help _him!” 

“How many times do I have to say I can help him myself before you get it through your thick--” 

It’s only when they hear the sad sniffling from behind Shannon that they stop arguing. 

Christopher’s sitting on the floor, drenched in his own urine, looking absolutely miserable. “M’sorry, couldn’t hold it.” he cries, covering his face in embarrassment. 

Buck takes advantage of the fact that Shannon’s distracted, to zig zag past her. He kneels down in front of Christopher and picks him up. “Don’t be sorry, it’s us who should be apologizing to you, bud. I’m sorry. Don’t worry, I’m gonna getcha outta these clothes ok? Come on.” 

Shannon doesn’t say a word, or try to stop them. Not after seeing that look on her sons’ face. She feels _ terrible _. 

After a quick but efficient sponge bath and a change of clothes, Christopher feels a little better. Buck can tell he’s still embarrassed over losing control of his bladder in front of them, though. 

“Hey, next week is the annual fair at the pier, I was thinking of going, but I don’t have anyone to go with. You don’t happen to know anyone who’s free and maybe likes rides and carnival games and winning giant stuffed animals, do ya’?” 

“Me!” Christopher exclaims, excitedly. 

“Oh, then we _ have _to go!” Buck grins. 

Buck isn’t sure what he’s expecting when he enters the living room. But he’s pleasantly surprised to see that the mess has been cleaned up and all of Christophers’ new toys have been put away neatly. 

Shannon is seated at the table with her purse over her shoulder. She walks over to them and addresses her son. “Hey, Christopher. I’m really really sorry. Mommy didn’t consider your feelings at all just now, and that was not nice. I gotta get going now, but I need you to know how sorry I am, before I go.” 

Christopher, still clinging to Buck, nods. “It’s ok, we all make mistakes.” 

Shannon smiles. How did her kid turn out so great? 

“Um, Evan, do you mind if we talk for a minute? Alone?” 

Buck sets Christopher down on the couch and turns on the T.V., handing him the remote. “Here bud, pick something good. I’ll be right back.” 

He leads her out past the front door so they can talk without Christopher overhearing them. 

“Please don’t tell Ed about this.” she begs. “I don’t know what came over me, I just, I got so jealous. I’m sorry. I promise it won’t happen again.” 

Buck bites his bottom lip. “I’m sorry, I can’t keep this from Eddie, especially since it involves Christopher.” he actually feels bad for her, somehow. She looks seconds away from crying. 

Shannon’s face contorts into something ugly as she works out the fact that she’s not going to get her way. “I’m going to get them back, you know.” she wipes a stray tear from her cheek. “You should give up now, while you can still bow out gracefully.” 

Buck scowls and takes a step back. “Bye Shannon.” he closes the door on her face without waiting for a response. 

In hindsight, Buck should have called Eddie the moment Shannon left. But hindsight is 20/20. 

He knows Eddie’s at work, and as a fire-figher himself, he knows how busy it can get, so he decides to wait until later, when Eddie gets home. It’ll probably go easier in person, anyway. 

So he sits down next to Christopher and they watch Finding Dory. Christopher, exhausted after a trying day, ends up falling asleep towards the end of the film, and Buck carries him to bed and tucks him in for a nice afternoon nap. 

His phone starts buzzing before he can fully exit Christophers’ room, and he half-stumbles in an attempt to rush out of the room before his ringtone can wake the kid up. 

Once he’s out of earshot, he answers, without looking at the caller ID. “Hello?” 

“Hey, everything okay?” it’s Eddie. He sounds worried. 

“Uh, yeah, I mean, it is now. Sorry, I should have called you earlier.” 

“So it’s true?” 

“What?” 

“Shannon came over to the station. She told me what happened, about Christopher wetting himself. Why didn’t you call me?” he sounds agitated. 

“I thought you’d be busy with work. Christopher’s fine.” 

“You could have sent me a text.” 

Buck is steadily growing annoyed with the tone Eddie’s using. “It was kind of hard to explain via text, I figured it’d be better to tell you in person. Look, I’m sorry, I should have called. It won’t happen again.” 

“Shannon said you slammed the door in her face.” 

“Well, yeah, but--” 

“Buck, that’s not okay. I get that I put you in a weird spot with her, and you might not be her favorite person, and you _ know _I’m sorry about that, but she’s still the mother of my son. You can’t do that.” 

Buck gulps hard. He doesn’t know why his throat feels so tight all of a sudden. “Yup. Got it. I’ll see you later. Bye.” he hangs up before his voice can crack. That’s the first time since they met that Eddie’s talked to him like that. It really shouldn’t sting as much as it does. 

Of course he would take her side. Shannon is Christophers’ mother, after all. His ex-wife. Technically still his wife. 

Should Buck have been more insistent with Christopher about letting his mother help him instead? It doesn’t sit right with him, but he’s not a parent, so what the hell does he know? 

Buck makes Christopher lunch when he wakes up a couple of hours later, and then they head to the park down the street from the house and play the rest of the day away, until it’s nearly dinner time. 

By then Christopher’s so beat Buck piggy backs him the two blocks home. 

Buck has him wash up for dinner before they eat--leftovers from the night before that Eddie put a sticky note on, in the fridge. They’re just finishing up when they hear the door open and close. “Dad!” Christoper calls out. “We’re in the kitchen!” 

Buckley smiles at the kids unfettered enthusiasm. It must be nice to come home to this every night. 

“Hey kiddo!” Eddie picks him up and hugs him tight. “Missed you.” 

“Buck took me to the park! He helped me on the monkey bars!” he starts, excitedly sharing his day. 

Eddie grins. “Oh yeah? Sounds like you had a fun day.” he turns to Buck, losing the grin. “Buck, I uh--” 

“I should get going.” Buck interrupts. “I’ll see ya’, okay?” he gives Christopher a quick squeeze goodbye and practically dashes out of the door.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone reading/commenting/liking! You guys are the best, I really appreciate the love this story's gotten so far. 
> 
> also: this chapter is so EXTRA i'm sorryyyyy lmao, it was only supposed to be like 4k but uh, yeah enjoy
> 
> also: my tumblr: datleggy.tumblr.com
> 
> also: im a shy hoe but if ya'll have any prompts you wanna send my way i'm always happy to consider them :)

Eddie had asked Christopher to tell him about what had happened during his mom’s visit, but his son had clammed up instantly, and told him, “I don’t wanna talk about it.” 

That reaction alone was enough to set off all of his internal alarms. 

Christopher’s normally such a happy and outgoing kid, more than ready to share his day. 

With what Shannon told him, though, it makes sense that Christopher would be too shy to say anything. 

He still can’t bring himself to fully believe it, but the image of Shannon walking into the station that day, tears streaming down her face, is one he won’t soon forget. 

“Christopher had to go, and I guess he’s still getting used to me, you know? Because he didn’t tell me anything, and Buckley was in the other room on his phone I think? So poor Christopher ended up wetting himself. 

“I cleaned up while Buck got him changed, and when they came back out I told Christopher I was sorry, that I should have noticed earlier, and I felt so bad. Buck put him in the other room and told me to leave. He slammed the door right in my face. 

“He was right to do it, I should have noticed, I feel like the worlds’ worst mother. I’m really sorry, Ed.” she had explained, all while sobbing. 

Eddie shakes his head. To have it confirmed by Buck himself later was a shock. 

He gets it. Having to wash and change a kid out of urine stained clothes isn’t exactly glamorous work, and on top of it Buck was doing him a huge favor, but to let frustration get the best of him like that? To treat the mother of his child in such a way? Not ok in his book. 

And the fact that he hadn’t bothered to apologize or even to talk about it was irritating, too. 

He wishes he’d never lied to Shannon in the first place. 

Why did he have to go and mess up a good thing? 

  
  
  
  
  


A couple of days later Buck and Eddie are on shift together for the first time since Shannons’ visit. 

They’re currently in the middle of a flooded basement, checking for anyone who might still be in the building after the initial evacuation was called. 

So far, no one. 

“So, uh,” Eddie starts, not really looking at Buck. “Christopher mentioned something about a fair at the pier this week.” 

Buck nods, smiling. “Yeah, after what happened, I told him we could go. Thought it would make him feel better.” 

“Well, you’re off the hook. Shannon thought it’d be a good bonding session, so she’s taking him. My grandmas’ not really into those things, and I have a day off anyway; I’m going with them, to supervise.” 

Buck feels like he’s been suckerpunched in the gut. 

He’s never been more glad to have the mask and helmet on to cover his face, because he is not doing a great job of hiding how he feels right now. “Cool. Have fun. I’m gonna go look over here, radio me if you see anything.” he can’t get away fast enough. 

Maddie was right all along. He should really start listening to her more often. She’s usually been right about most things throughout their lives. 

Still, to be dismissed like that? ‘You’re off the hook’; what does that even mean? As if spending the day with Christopher was such a chore! Honestly, Buck had been looking forward to it, he enjoys the time he spends with Christopher. 

He’d been thinking maybe all three of them could go together. 

Now it felt like he was being replaced, which was ludicrous. Shannon was the one who belonged with Chrisopher and Eddie and deserved to go on fun family outings with them, not him. It makes him feel like a placeholder. 

In the end, nothing of consequence happens, the whole building has been evacuated safely and the firefighters pack it in and head back to the station. 

Buck avoids being alone with Eddie for the rest of the shift and hopes he’s not being too obvious about it. 

  
  
  
  
  


“You’re both being idiots.” 

Maddie nods in agreement, as she grabs the biggest popcorn bowl she has. “Howie’s right, you’re both idiots.” 

Buck groans. “You guys suck.” 

“I mean, not to be _ that _sister, but I did tell you, didn’t I?” 

“An ‘I told you so’ is so not what I wanna hear right now Mads.” 

“Yeah, but it’s fun to say.” she shrugs, making him scoot over on the couch so she could sit next to Chimney. 

“You guys hanging out is weird. Stop it.” 

“You living with your sister at age twenty seven is weird. _ You _stop it.” Chim throws a piece of popcorn at his head. 

Buck moans. “They’re going to the fair tomorrow. Like, _ together _. As a family.” 

“Ouch.” Chim sympathizes. “You should go too. Aren’t you two still fake dating?” 

“I mean, I guess? For all I know Eddie told Shannon we broke up after I slammed the door on her dumb face. We haven’t really talked much since.” 

Maddie makes a face. “Well, from what you told me, it sounds kinda’ like she deserved it. You can only take so much crap from someone before you snap. And it’s not like you kicked her out or anything, she was on her way out.” 

Chim nods. “Yeah, seriously, just imagine if you two were _ actually _dating and his ex acted crazy, apologized, and then right after apologizing told you to screw off out of their lives? Who wouldn’t slam the door in that ladys’ face?” 

Buck steals a handful of popcorn from the bowl on Maddie’s lap, “Yeah, well, I’m tired, I’m going to bed, don’t do gross things on the couch please, g’night.” 

Maddie and Chim both blush and shout at him to shut up. 

  
  
  
  
  


It just so happens, with his so called luck, that Buck does end up at the fair the next day. 

A call comes in, and unfortunately unit 118 is the closest to the scene. 

Once they’re there Hen and Chim trache a man who’d been choking on a hotdog, saving his life. The small crowd which had gathered to watch the spectacle applaud as they load the man into the back of the ambulance on a gurney. 

All in all, a successful mission. 

Hen and Chim take off in the ambulance, leaving Bobby and Buck to load back into the firetruck. They’re just about to head out when an alarming announcement comes on, on the PA system. 

“CHRISTOPHER DIAZ, PLEASE REPORT TO THE FERRIS WHEEL. CHRISTOPHER DIAZ, PLEASE REPORT TO THE FERRIS WHEEL.” 

“Did uh, did I hear that right?” Buck looks at Bobby in shock. 

Bobby frowns, clearly concerned. Diaz is a common last name, and quite frankly Christopher’s an even more common first name, but it can’t possibly be a coincidence. “C’mon, let’s go check it out.” 

Buck’s already hopped out of the truck, anxious to find out what’s happened. 

They make it to the ferris wheel in record time. There are two security guards standing there with Eddie and Shannon. The couple look stricken. 

“We’re here to help.” Bobby says when they reach the search party. 

“Cap, Buck!” Eddie sounds like he might cry. He looks between the two men frantically, before his eyes finally land on Buckley. “Buck, God, Buck, we _ lost _him.” 

Buck forgets all about any lingering awkwardness between them and enfolds the other man in his arms, comforting him as best as he can. “We’re gonna find him, I promise.” 

Eddie collapses into Buck, “I left him for five minutes.” he shudders. 

Buck squeezes him one last time before grabbing him by his upper arms and pulling away, though it pains him to do so, when Eddie so clearly needs someone to hold him. “Start from the top, what happened.” 

“I went to the bathroom, but there was a line, it took longer than I thought. I came out and Shannon was freaking out that she couldn’t find him.” 

Shannon cuts in, “I got a call from my mom, I took my eyes off him for a minute, I don’t know how this could have happened, I’m so sorry.” she cries, distraught. 

One of the security guards says something to the other and turns to address the parents. “We’re working on pulling up the video feed from that location, it shouldn’t be long now. In the meantime we’ve got our guys plus some volunteer lifeguards from the beach looking all over the place.” 

Bobby radios Hen and Chim, “When you’re done at the hospital I need you two back at the pier asap.” 

“Got it Cap, on our way, ETA 5 minutes.” 

Eddie nods in gratitude. “Thank you, seriously.” 

Bobby puts a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Let’s go, we should coordinate with the search team so we’re not in each other’s way.” 

Eddie nods, about to follow Buck and Bobby back to the security room, when Shannon tugs on his sleeve. “Eddie, I swear it was just one minute, not even that, I’m really sorry, please forgive me.” 

Eddie takes a deep breathe. “I’m sorry, I, I can’t even look at you right now. Just, stay here with the guard, in case Christopher hears the announcement, please.” he shrugs her hand off of him and leaves without another word. 

Maybe he’s being unfair, but Eddie can’t even give it a moments thought right now. He needs to find his son. 

  
  
  
  


The feed from the security camera on the pier is jarring, to say the least. 

It shows Eddie ruffling his kids hair before heading into the restroom. Shannon looks down at her phone two seconds later and she can be seen pointing Christopher to a carnival game, presumably so that she can talk in private. 

Christopher starts walking towards the attraction, and Shannon turns the other way, holding the phone up to her ear. 

Less than five seconds later some guy wearing a baseball cap, which obscures his face from the camera, leans down in front of Christopher and the child collapses into his arms almost instantly, like a doll. 

The man makes quick work of grabbing the crutches in one hand, and picking Christopher up with the other, hoisting him up on his shoulder. 

All in all, it takes the man less than a minute to kidnap Christopher in broad daylight, in front of several hundred carnival goers. 

To everyone else, it must simply look like a father carrying his exhausted kid to the car, after a long day spent at the fair. 

Eddie thinks he might throw up. He hadn’t even let himself consider this possibility. “Oh God, oh _ God _.” 

Bobby takes charge immediately. “Buck, call 9-1-1, get the police over here right now.” he turns to the head security officer, who looks shell shocked by what she’s just witnessed on her screen. “I need you to shut everything down. Close all the exits, nobody comes in and nobody leaves, starting _ now _.”

She nods, at attention, and starts radioing everyone as fast as is humanly possible. 

“Call the guards at the parking lot, we need to make sure it’s locked down.” he tells another guard, who looks horrified but is eager to help in any way. 

“Yes sir!” 

After Buck calls for the police, he focuses on Eddie, whose face has been drained of all blood, he’s so pale. “Hey, I know you’re freaking out right now, but you gotta snap out of it because the cops will be here in less than five minutes, and they’re gonna’ need your help to find Christopher and get him home safe, ok?” 

Eddie shakes his head, dismayed. “What if we can’t? God, Buck, what am I gonna’ do? I can’t do this!” It’s like all the air has been sucked out of the room; he can’t breathe. 

“Shit, shit, hey, no, look at me.” Buck grabs his face in his hands and forces him to make eye contact. “_ Breathe _! In and out, c’mon, just like me, that’s it. In and out, there we go, you got this.” 

Eddie gasps out a breath. “Buck I’m so scared. I need, I need something to do, I can’t just sit here and wait for the cops, I need to be out there, I need to look for him.” 

Buck shakes his head. “I’m going to go out there _ right now _ and help look, I know the police are going to need to talk to you and Shannon, so I need you to stay here and wait for them. Here,” he hands Eddie one of his radios. “That’s tuned to my frequency. The second I know something you’ll know, I swear. When the police are done with you, you can jump right back into the fray. Everyone is out there looking for Christopher, Eddie, we’re going to find him and we are going to bring him back home.” 

Eddie gulps hard. “Ok, ok, go. Go now, before I change my mind, please.” 

Buck nods, determined, before setting off.

  
  
  
  
  


Buck doesn’t stop to think about how god fucking awful this situation is, he doesn’t stop to think about how much worse it can get before getting better--if it gets better. 

His heart is hammering a tattoo against his chest, but he can’t stop, he won’t stop. Can’t. 

It feels like hours have passed, but in reality, it’s been maybe fifteen, twenty minutes since Christopher went missing. There’s still hope. But the longer this takes, the more minutes that tick by, the more anxious he feels. 

The parking lot is _ huge _, with several sections, splayed wide apart from each other. 

He can’t help but think that there just aren’t enough guards here to stop every single person trying to exit the pier, not enough people looking through cars--what if Christopher’s in someone’s trunk right now? 

The sun is starting to set, but it’s still so humid out. It’s too hot for anyone to survive being stuck in a locked car for too long…

Buck is literally prying open the trunk of every single car in his section of the lot, using a flathead screwdriver to pop them open. “Christopher! If you can hear me make some kinda noise, kiddo!” he calls out, every so often, hoping for something, anything. 

He’s on his eighth car when he hears his name. 

It’s muffled, but that is definitely his name being called. 

“CHRISTOPHER!” he calls back, running towards the sound of that voice, which he’d recognize just about anywhere. 

“Bucky!” 

“I found him!” he yells into his radio, running at a full, frenzied sprint now. “I’m at lot F, send everyone!” 

He’s all the way at the end of the lot now, searching desperately. “KEEP CALLING ME, CHRISTOPHER!” 

“Buck!” 

There he is. In an old, beat up blue truck, with the paint chipping off of it. 

His hair is tangled with sweat and he looks scared out of his mind, but otherwise, he looks unharmed. He’s in the passenger seat, arms tied behind his back so that he can’t unlock the door himself. “Buck, help!” Christopher cries out. 

Buck wastes zero time. “Christopher, I need you to lay down and try to cover your head, I know it’s hard, but I’m gonna’ break the window to get you out!” 

Christopher nods, and though it’s clearly not ideal, he manages to scoot back as far as possible and turn around so that his head isn’t anywhere near the window. 

It only takes two tries, and a very sore elbow to smash the damn window. 

Buck ignores the blood dripping down his arm as he reaches in to unlock the door. “I gotcha’ buddy, you’re ok.” 

He’s halfway inside the truck when he feels a sharp tug at the collar of his shirt, and suddenly he’s being dragged back and punched in the face harder than he’s ever been hit, before he can even react. 

Buck sees stars, his vision going black for half a second. 

He’s knocked to the ground, straight on his ass, when he hears an engine start, and sees the door slam shut in front of him. 

Buck is dizzy as all hell, but the adrenaline pumping throughout his system lets him completely ignore the fact that his nose and mouth are spewing blood like a faucet, and he flings himself up in one swift motion, the upper half of his body sliding into the blue truck. 

The kidnapper startles badly, swerving the car and hitting the accelerator. Still tucked safely between the dashboard and the front seat, Christopher starts screaming in terror. “BUCK!” 

Buck somehow succeeds in elbowing the sonofabitch right in the face, knocking him out cold. Unfortunately, his foot is still on the accelerator, and they’re headed right for the metal gates surrounding the lot. 

Buck tries to crawl inside, but gravity won’t let him, and there’s barely enough room, he can feel himself slipping out of the car. He starts to panic. If the car hits those gates and that airbag goes off on Christophers’ side, he doesn’t think the kid will survive the impact. 

“CHRISTOPHER! COME TO ME, I’VE GOT YOU!” they might not survive this either, but he has to try something. _ Anything _at this point. There are giant shrubs right around the gates. If he can time this right, they might actually live. 

Christopher, brave kid that he is, doesn’t hesitate for even a second. He struggles to get his footing, a difficult task on a normal day, made worse by the fact that his hands are still tied behind his back, and throws himself into Buck. 

Buckley, who’s been using all of his strength to stay attached to the speeding vehicle, loosens his grip on the car door in order to wrap his arms protectively around Christopher’s head and waist. 

It’s surreal, the feeling of letting gravity take over entirely as they get tossed out of the car. 

They’re in the air for a total of three seconds, and then Buck feels his back connect to the ground. He curls himself tightly around Christophers’ small frame, hoping to God this is enough, as they roll several times, before finally landing in a bush. 

A moment later the car finally hits the gate with a resounding _ bang _! The impact completely totals the entire front half of the vehicle. It smells like burning rubber and gasoline. 

“Chris’pher…” Buck mumbles, disoriented. “You ok?” his hands fumble clumsily, trying to ascertain whether or not the bundle on his chest is still breathing. 

“M’ok.” Christopher sniffles, out of breath. He’s shaking like a leaf. 

Buck breathes out a sigh of relief. He sits up gingerly, pulling the kid up against him and unties his hands from behind his back, with some serious effort; his fingers feel numb. “Let me look at’cha.” he says. He needs to make sure. 

But Christopher’s terribly shaken by the ordeal. Instead he throws himself at Buck, burrowing his head into his chest. “Want my dad.” he sobs, clinging on tight. 

Buck can hear several alarms not too far off in the distance. 

He remembers vaguely having radioed Eddie that he’d found Christopher, but for the life of him, can’t recall having heard a response. But he guesses there must have been one, if the cops have found them so quickly. Or maybe it’s the fact that the car is starting to smoke. 

Though honestly, the lot they’re in is so damn far from the entrance of the pier that it’d be a miracle if that were it. 

“Bucky?” 

“Mmm?” 

Christopher looks up, “Are you okay? You’re bleeding a lot.” 

Buck blinks. Everything feels kind of hazy. “M’fine, we should…” what was he gonna’ say? Oh, yeah. Move. They should move. It’s not safe to be so close to a smoking car. He knows that. He’s a firefighter. 

Later, if anybody asks him how he did it, he’ll say he has no fucking idea, but he does. He gets up, Christopher securely in his arms, and starts slowly limping away from the wreckage. 

Buck believes, initially, that he might be hallucinating. But nope. That is definitely, for sure, his fire engine coming toward them. The 118. Thank God. 

  
  
  
  
  


It’s not until he sees Evan Buckley, standing there in that parking lot, holding his son close to him, with the sun setting right behind them, just over the horizon, that Eddie can finally, _ finally _stop holding his breath. 

He hops out of the firetruck before it even comes to a full halt, and starts running like mad. 

“DADDY!” Christopher reaches out for him. 

“Christopher, oh my god, baby, oh my god!” Eddie takes him in his arms and falls to his knees on the gravel floor, his relief palpable. He sobs into Christopher’s shoulder. “I love you so much.” 

Christopher clings onto him like a limpet “Love you.” he pulls away only for a fraction of a second, “Dad, I think Bucky needs a doctor.” 

Eddie blinks. “Wha’?” he looks up, to where Buck had been standing with his kid not one minute ago, only to realize Buck is on the ground with them, now. 

He’s on his hands and knees, just barely holding himself up, his head down. Eddie looks at the steadily growing puddle of blood forming beneath him. “Jesus! Evan!” 

Still gripping his kid with one arm, he scoots over to the other man and puts a hand on his face. “Buck, c’mon, look at me.” he tries, fruitlessly. Buck might as well be on Mars. 

Behind him the cop cars have already convened. Athena’s handcuffing the unconscious kidnapper to the gurney he’s being transported in. 

Chim, Hen and Bobby gather around the three. 

“Oh God, what the hell happened?!” Hen bends down to check on Buck. 

At long last, he reacts, though slowly. “M’ok, just check on Chr’pher, we had to jump from da’ car. Landing sucked.” he looks up and Eddie and Hen gasp at the sight of him. 

His face is _ caked _in blood, and the rest of him is no better off. His clothes are torn, scratches and bruises are littered all over him. He looks like an extra in a horror film. 

Christopher in comparison only has a few scratches here and there, and some unpleasant rope burn around his wrists. Eddie can tell Buck clearly took the brunt of their fall. 

“We’re gonna’ transport them both to the hospital, right now, c’mon, let’s go.” Bobby commands. Hen and Chim run to get the gurney from their rig. 

Bobby sits down beside Buck and wraps an arm around his shoulder, gently, “You did it, kid, you can relax now, alright?” 

Buck breathes out. “Yeah?” he sounds close to passing out. 

“Yeah, Buck.” Bobby lets the kid lean all of his weight on him, and supports him the way he would if this were his son who’d just gone through hell and back. “You did so good, Buck, I’m really proud of you.” 

“Don’t feel good.” he groans. 

Bobby nods his head against the kids’ forehead, “I know bud, it’s ok, we’re gonna get you help.” 

Eddie, from a very similar position on the floor, with his own son, nods. “You’re gonna’ be ok. Both of you.” 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Everything _ hurts _. 

He’s groggy when he wakes up, hours later, in a hospital bed, covered in bandages and stitches, with an IV drip and a heart monitor. “Christopher?” he tries to look around, but moving is not a good idea. He bites back a whine. 

“Hey, hey, shh, be careful, don’t try that again, you took a serious beating, Buck.” 

“Eddie?” Buck’s head lolls to the side. “Christopher?” he asks, too exhausted for full sentences. 

Eddie smiles. “You saved him. Look to your right--_ slowly _.” 

Buck does as he’s told, and is rewarded by the sight of Christopher, lying on his own hospital bed, right next to his. “He’s ok?” 

Eddie nods. “Dehydrated, a few bumps and bruises, but nothing major. He’s gonna’ be fine. Thanks to you.” 

Buck sighs. “Was so scared when I saw ‘im in that car,” he mumbles, “so happy he’s ok.” 

Eddie leans in, so close their faces are nearly touching. “I’m happy you’re gonna’ be ok, Evan. You both scared me shitless.” 

Buck tilts his head. “Your face’s really close. Could kiss you.” he drifts off into a drug induced sleep right after that, and ends up missing the look on Eddie’s face. 

And more important than that, he misses Christopher, who’s only half-asleep, tell his stunned dad that they should just “kiss already”, before turning over for a more restful slumber. 

Bobby, leaning against the entryway, chuckles. “Christopher’s a sharp kid.” 

Eddie turns a bright red when he realizes the Captain is there. 

Bobby holds his hands up, “Sorry, didn’t mean to eavesdrop. I’m here to relieve you for a little while--the police are in the waiting room, for you.” 

Eddie nods, though he’s reluctant to leave his boys, even in the capable hands of Captain Nash. 

“Go, I’ve got ‘em.” Bobby assures him. 

Eddie decides the sooner he gets this over with, the sooner he’ll be back, and hands the reins over to the Captain. 

  
  
  
  
  


There are two detectives. The ones who questioned him when Christopher had initially gone missing. It feels like a million years ago now, even though in reality, it’s only been hours. 

He remembers they’d talked to him and Shannon separately. They’d asked him what Christopher had been wearing that day, did he have any medical issues or conditions they should be made aware, had he ever seen the man who’d taken his son before, was there anyone in his life with a grudge, either against him or his ex-wife? 

Eddie had replied succinctly, desperate to get back to actively looking for his child. 

“Mr. Diaz, the man who kidnapped Christopher is still unconscious at the moment. We’re waiting for him to wake up before we can interview him. He didn’t have any identification on him when we searched him and his vehicle, but we were able to run his plates. The car belongs to a Richard Cox, former ex-marine, dishonorably discharged in 2012. Does the name ring a bell?” 

Eddie can’t say that it does. “I was in the army as a medic for several years, but no, I can’t recall if we ever crossed paths. I have no idea why that sonofabitch would try to take my kid.” 

One of the detectives writes something down and nods. “Alright, understood, we’ll be in touch if there’s any more new information, Mr. Diaz.” 

“Thank you.” he shakes their hands and watches them walk away. He supposes most people would want to know why something so awful nearly occurred to them, to their child; but Eddie is so insanely relieved at having Christopher back, after having to face a bleak future wherein he thought he might never see him again, that he’s not so sure he wants to know. 

He knows better than anyone that people do messed up things for no reason, or worse, horrible reasons, all of the time. He’s not sure his heart could take knowing why that sick man took his son. Eddie doesn’t want to spend the rest of his days thinking about what could have happened, had Buck not been there. 

Eddie sighs. He feels about ready to collapse, he’s so tired. 

“Ed.” 

Eddie turns around. “Shannon.” he’d been so caught up in everything he’s honest to God completely forgotten she existed for those few hours. He only feels a little bad about it.

“I want to see him.” Shannon wipes a tear from her eye, and folds her arms over her chest, as though shielding herself. 

Eddie can’t see himself, but he’s sure whatever face he’s making right now is not a pleasant one. “You can see him through the window in his room.” he says. He thinks even that is too generous. 

Shannon makes a sound of outrage. “Ed, what happened was horrible, and you’ll never know how sorry I am, truly! But I’m still his mom! I need to see him!” 

Eddie feels all the blood in his body boiling to the surface. “You let him be taken! For a phone call, Shannon. What the fuck was so important that you couldn’t at least _ watch _him and talk at the same time?! Why would you turn your back to a child after sending them off in the opposite direction in a crowded fair?!” 

“How the hell was I supposed to know some freak would decide to grab him?! You’ve never taken your eyes off him, not for one second?! You’re all of a sudden this perfect, infallible parent, is that it?! I made ONE mistake, and now you’re not going to let me see my son, after everything we’ve been through today, are you serious?!” 

“Woah, hey!” Hen intercedes. “You guys have five seconds to remember you’re in a _ hospital _, with a lot of sick people, who would appreciate your silence. If you guys wanna’ fight, fine, but I suggest you take it outside before Nurse Ratchet over there decides to call the security guards, and they escort you out forcibly.” she reminds them. 

Eddie takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself. “One minute.” he finally says, “You can see him for one minute, and then we can talk about any future visits or whatever tomorrow.” 

Shannon still looks sour, but she nods in agreement. “That’s fine.” 

“And please be careful not to wake Buck up.” 

Shannon stops dead in her tracks. “Why are they in the same room?” 

“It’s what Christopher wanted. He started crying the minute we tried to separate them outside of the ambulance, and after the day he’s had, no one had the heart to say no.” Eddie explains. 

“Right.” 

Bobby steps out of the room to give them some privacy when he sees Shannon walk in behind Eddie. “Thanks Cap.” 

Shannon doesn’t spare the man who saved her sons’ life a single glance. She sits beside Christopher’s bed and runs her fingers through his curly hair. “Oh, my sweet boy. Almost lost you today. Mommy’s so sorry.” 

Christopher doesn’t stir awake, much to her disappointment. Eddie lets her sit there for a few extra minutes, realizing that maybe he was being a little harsh earlier. 

Buck moans in his sleep, his face contorting in pain. Eddie rushes to his bedside and combs his hair back gently from his face. “Shh, shh, you’re gonna be ok.” he presses the call nurse button next to the heart monitor. 

“_ Hurts _.” Buck manages to wake up, though he wishes he hadn’t. The drugs are wearing off, and he feels every single ache and pain right now. 

“I know Buck, I know, I called the nurse. She should be here with your next round of meds in a minute. Try to relax.” Eddie bends down and gives him a kiss on his forehead. “You’re gonna be ok.” he murmurs comfortingly. 

Buck clumsily reaches out a hand and Eddie happily gives him his. “Squeeze, it’ll help.” he says. 

“Christopher?” he asks again, still a little delirious. 

“He’s safe, you got him Buck.” Eddie reassures him. 

Thankfully the nurse gets there pretty quickly and injects the pain meds directly into his IV bag. Buck falls back asleep less than half a minute later. 

Eddie thanks the nurse before she leaves. 

“You’ve never looked at me like that.” Shannon practically spits the words out. 

Eddie clears his throat. “Can we not? Not here.” he stands up and opens the door. “Your minute is up, by the way.” 

Shannon grits her teeth but refrains from saying anything else. “We’re going to talk about this tomorrow, Ed. He’s my son, too.” 

Eddie sighs. He’s so incredibly tired. “Tomorrow.” he agrees, if only to get her to leave. 

  
  
  
  
  


It’s nearly three in the morning and Eddie can’t sleep. It has little to do with the uncomfortable hospital chair, either. The moment his eyes start to droop he starts awake, in a panic, eyes roaming the room for his child. 

He doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to sleep again. 

“Dad?” 

Eddie’s up in an instant. “Yeah buddy? I’m right here, you’re ok.” 

Christopher nods. “I know.” he says. He looks to the bed beside him, where Buck is resting, and frowns. “Are you guys still mad at each other?” 

Eddie blinks in surprise. “Um, no, not--we were never angry--” 

“So how come he wasn’t with us at the fair?” Christopher asks. “And last week he left so fast, and you guys were actin’ so weird.” 

Eddie always forgets his kid sees a lot more than he lets on. He sighs. “So, I know you didn’t want to talk about it, but remember that day? You had an accident?” 

Christopher nods. It’s still embarrassing but after all he’s been through in the last few hours, it doesn’t seem like that big of a deal anymore. “Yeah.” 

“Well, Buck blamed your mommy, and wasn’t very nice to her afterwards. I didn’t agree with what he did, so--” 

“That’s not true!” 

Eddie’s surprised at Christopher’s outburst. He very rarely interrupts him when they’re talking. “What do you mean, bud?” 

Christopher sits up and tells him what really happened that day. He tells him about needing to go, and asking Buck to help him. “But mom got mad and said no, she said she could do it.” he tells Eddie he felt uncomfortable, being made to choose between the two of them, after having already asked Buck. He says that after choosing Buck a second time, his mom got in the way and refused to let Buck pick him up, and they went back and forth for so long, he couldn’t hold it any longer, and that’s how the accident happened. 

Eddie clenches his jaw in anger, but reels it in before Christopher can take notice. He doesn’t want him thinking it’s him who Eddie’s mad at.

“And then Buck helped me get clean and let me pick out a new outfit.” he continues, oblivious. Christopher confirms that yes, Shannon did clean the mess and apologize, but that she hadn’t actually been kicked out. She’d chosen to go of her own accord. “Mom said she wanted to talk to Buck, but I didn’t hear what they said. But Bucky is nice, he wouldn’t be mean to anyone.” 

Eddie hugs Christopher. “Thank you for telling me what really happened. I had no idea.” 

Christopher nods drowsily. “Can you sleep up here with me?” he asks. 

Eddie feels like he’s saying it more for his benefit than anything, but agrees, telling himself it’s in order to comfort Christopher, and not for his own peace of mind. 

  
  
  
  
  


“You guys are so cute, you’re gonna’ give me cavities.”

Eddie, who’s just barely awake, grins at the finally lucid voice of one Evan “Buck” Buckley. “Hey.” 

Buck smiles. “Hi.” 

They stare at each other from across the beds for a long time before either one speaks again. 

“How are you feeling?” 

Buck goes to shrug, but thinks better of it. “Ok.” he lies. 

Eddie gives him a look. 

Buck gives in easily. “Ok, like crap. I’m pretty sure there isn’t a single square inch of my body that’s not covered in some kind of bruise. I always thought jumping out of a car would be cooler. Action movies make it seem so glamorous, y’know?” 

Eddie chuckles. “You’re an idiot.” 

Buck sticks his tongue out. “Mean.” 

Eddie reaches out over his son, to lightly grasp at Buck’s wrist. “I am literally never going to be able to repay you or thank you enough for what you did out there.” he gulps. 

Buck smiles softly. “Hey, what are fake boyfriends for?” 

“Speaking of...I have been a really shit fake boyfriend to you in the last week.” Eddie grimaces. “Christopher told me what really happened. I got a very different version of that story from Shannon, and like a complete moron who sucks really hard at communicating, I didn’t ask you for your side of the story. I just made assumptions and jumped to conclusions. I’m really sorry I was such a dick.” 

Buck looks uncomfortable now. He pulls his wrist away from Eddie’s hand and looks away. “It’s fine, really. She’s your wife. The mother of your kid. I get it. And it’s not like she lied about everything. I did slam the door in her face.” he admits. “She was saying all these things about how she was gonna’ win you guys back, how inevitable it was, and I just let jealousy take over, and slammed the door before she could say anything else.” 

“Jealousy?” Eddie repeats, confused. 

Buck hides his face with his hands and wishes his body didn’t hurt so much, or he’d have turned the other way, too. “I don’t know when it started, but I’m definitely in love with you. I’m sorry.” This is by far the lamest, most _ humiliating _confession he’s ever made in his entire life, and he’s really hoping this is the moment when the nurse will walk in with his pain meds and knock him out again, because what is more painful than unrequited love? He needs morphine, stat. 

“You love me?” Eddie repeats again, shellshocked. 

Buck can’t bring himself to open his eyes and see the look of pity on the other mans’ face. _ I’m sorry, I just don’t feel that way. _ That’s probably what he’ll say. And it will be awful and embarrassing and he might actually cry, even. 

And then the code red alarms, from right down the hall start blaring at the nurses station, and two uniformed officers start running towards it, along with the nurses and doctors. 

Christopher wakes up instantaneously, in a fright. “Buck!” he calls out. 

Buck lets the kid crawl from one bed to the next and straight into his arms, even though his ribs protest the movement. “Shh, shh, it’s ok, you’re safe, I’m right here.” Christopher sniffles and burrows himself even further into Bucks’ side. 

Buck looks up at Eddie. “You should go check that out.” he doesn’t say out loud what they’re both thinking. Not in front of Christopher. That alarm, plus the police reacting--it had to have come from the kidnappers’ room. Buck can’t believe they’re on the same fucking floor, much less just right down the hall from each other.

Eddie nods. “I’ll be right back.” 

  
  
  
  
  


Richard Cox is dead. 

“He was stable this morning.” Eddie hears one of the nurses say. 

“Good riddance.” the other one whispers, “Didn’t you hear? This guy kidnapped a little boy. That’s why he was handcuffed to the bed and had those officers watching his door.” 

The man who tried to take his son away from him is dead. Eddie doesn’t know how to feel about it. Relieved? Maybe. 

Should he tell Christopher? Tell him the bad man who took him is never coming back? He has no idea. He doesn’t think there’s really a parenting guidebook for this specific situation, at hand. 

By the time all the commotion has died down and Eddie makes his way back into the room, Christopher’s fallen back to sleep, snoring soundly atop Buck. 

Eddie sits down and sighs. “He’s dead.” he doesn’t have to say who. 

Buck grimaces. “Can’t really say I feel for the guy.” he thinks as someone who got punched square in the face with brass knuckles (he found out earlier--no wonder it hurt so much), he’s allowed his lack of sentiment. 

“Me neither. What should I tell Christopher?” 

“I have no idea.” 

Eddie leans forward in his chair. “It’s not like I was eager to learn what that sicko planned on doing, or why he took Christopher in the first place, but now the thought of maybe never knowing? It’s...I don’t know.” he shakes his head. “I don’t know how to feel about it.” 

When Buck doesn’t reply, Eddie finally looks up. His face is scrunched up in obvious discomfort. “Shit, the pain meds must’ve worn off by now, huh? Here,” he presses the call button. With all the chaos in the last half hour or so it’s no wonder nobody’s come in to give him more. 

Buck sighs in relief when the nurse injects the meds into his IV, and seconds later he’s back in dreamland. 

  
  
  
  
  


Eddie spends the rest of the day with his boys, greeting visitors and accepting flowers, balloons, cards, and other gifts on behalf of both Buck and Christopher. 

There’s a giant bear in the corner of the room that Eddie thinks he might have to stuff in the back of Bucks’ truck, because it’s certainly not gonna’ fit in his minivan. 

“Hey, how are our two brave boys?” Chim and Maddie walk in with an assortment of colorful balloons for Christopher, and a basket full of treats, too. 

“Shocked that most of the world’s helium is currently residing in this room.” Buck teases. Eddie looks around. He’s not wrong. Surely this amount of balloons is some kind of fire hazard? 

Maddie laughs. “You love it.” she scoots between the beds and shows Christopher the basket of candies and toys they got him. He’s over the moon excited, specifically over the cool set of power rangers. 

Buck pouts. “All I got were some flowers and a get well soon card, where are _ my _power rangers?” 

“Don’t worry, we can share!” Christopher says, very seriously, patting at his chest. 

Chim grins. “Bucks’ finally got a friend his age he can play with.” 

Maddie covers up her laughter, but just barely. 

Buck doesn’t help his case by sticking his tongue out at them and making a face. 

Eddie watches the whole thing with a smile he can’t get off his face. This is his family. Just an absolutely ridiculous bunch of people. He’s so happy his heart could burst. 

Later, Bobby and Athena come by, too, and they bring lunch in tupperware containers. “Hospital food is usually the worst thing about being in a hospital,” Athena says, “So I cooked you all up a little something.” 

Eddie’s eternally grateful. He’d left that morning to get breakfast in the cafeteria, and it had been the longest ten minutes of his life. All he wanted to do was get back to Christopher and Buckley. 

Even more later in the day, his abuela comes by with even more food. Chicken and rice, beans, potato salad, empanadas, and even flan for dessert. “Abuela you really didn’t need to do all this.” Eddie insists. 

“I beg to differ, you are my new favorite person.” Buck moans in delight. Everything is so good. He really needs to take some cooking lessons from this woman. 

Eddie’s abuela smiles at her grandson, one of those ‘see?’ smiles he’s never going to hear the end of. “Eat as much as you like, mijo, there’s plenty more.” 

She insists on staying to help Christopher eat, even though Eddie says he can do it, but she just shoos him away, telling him to eat his own food before it gets cold. He lets her feed Christopher, knowing she needs this, after everything that’s happened. 

He remembers her finding out the news, remembers how she’d cried and told herself, “If I’d been there, I could have watched him, this wouldn’t have happened, why didn’t I go?” Eddie knows it’s useless to try and convince the guilt away, because he felt the same way. He should have made Christopher come to the restroom with him, he shouldn’t have trusted Shannon to look after him, not after all this time. 

Speak of the devil, Shannon shows up, just as his abuela is packing up to leave for the night. “What is _ she _doing here?” his abuela turns to him. 

Eddie puts an arm around her shoulders and shakes his head. “Not now. Not in front of Christopher. We’ll talk tomorrow.” 

For her great grandsons’ sake, she leaves the room quietly, though not without shooting Shannon a glare on her way out. 

“Why haven’t you answered any of my calls?” 

Eddie reaches into his pocket for his phone. “Sorry, I didn’t realize my phone had died.” he’d meant to ask Hen to grab his charger for him when she went to his house the night before, to pack him an overnight bag, but it had slipped his mind. 

Shannon scoffs. “Sure. Can we talk outside?” 

Eddie follows her out of the room, throwing an apologetic look back at Buck. 

“You said we’d talk today.” she accuses. 

“I know what I said, I told you, my phone died, what did you want me to do?” 

Shannon makes a face. “I want you to stop treating me like I’m the villain in all this. This could have happened to anybody. I don’t understand what your problem is with me trying to be back in my son’s life again!” 

Eddie’s way too wound up for this after the last twenty four hours that have been his life. “Why did you lie to me?” 

Shannon takes a step back. “What?” 

“You told me Christopher had an accident because he didn’t feel comfortable telling you he needed to go, and that Buck wasn’t paying attention, but that’s not true, is it?” 

“Oh, what, did your _ boyfriend _tell you that?” she sneers. 

“No, actually. Our son did. What the hell is the matter with you? You don’t want to be treated like the villain here, then stop acting like one. Shannon, I want you to have a relationship with Christopher, I do, I swear that I do. I just want what is best for him, and if you’re not that, then we don’t need you back in our lives.” 

“I want that too! Of course I want a relationship with Christopher, but I want one with you, too. I know you’re not over me, Ed, I know you still love me, and I love you. We can set aside all this pettiness and be a family again, I know we can. For Christopher’s sake! Don’t you think he deserves that?” 

Eddie’s taken aback. “I...I can’t right now, I can’t even think about that. Shannon, look, I’m tired, let’s not do this now.” 

“Then when, Ed, when?” Shannon shakes her head. “I want our family back together, back the way it used to be.” she leans in without warning and kisses him on the lips. “Please think about it.” she departs with that, leaving Eddie with a lot to think about. 

He takes a moment or two before entering the room again. 

“Are you guys getting back together?” Christopher asks, eyes wide. 

“What?” Eddie grimaces. Probably not the best idea to talk right outside the hospital room and assume the walls were soundproof. 

“I saw you guys kiss!” he says, pointing at the little window in their room. Eddie has forgotten he’d drawn the shades up earlier that morning. Shit. 

Buck is sleeping, or, at least, he’s doing a decent job of pretending to sleep, in order to give father and son some privacy. 

Eddie bites his lip. Buck must have seen and heard everything too. Shit. 

“We can talk about this tomorrow, yeah? Dad’s tired, I think it’s time for bed.” 

Christopher pouts, but doesn’t fight him on it. “Ok.” 

  
  
  
  
  


“I know you’re awake.” 

Buck reluctantly opens one eye, and then the other. Christopher’s long since gone to sleep. 

“They’re going to discharge him in the morning.” Eddie informs him. 

Buck is glad to hear it, though a part of him suddenly feels very lonely at the prospect of just him in the sterile room. “That’s good.” 

“Yeah. So, listen, about what happened earlier,” he starts. 

“It’s none of my business.” Buck looks away. 

Eddie needs to say something. He needs to speak now or forever keep his stupid mouth shut. 

“Buck, remember when I told you I’d made it your business, back then, in the locker room?” 

Buck sighs. “Yes, look, you’ve made it very clear we’re just friends, and it’s fine, I’m fine with that. I don’t even know what I was saying before. It must have been the drugs. They make me loopy. Just pretend I never said anything, please.” 

“I can’t.” Eddie gets up and leans against Bucks bed. “I don’t _ like _you.” 

Buck blinks the tears threatening to fall away. This is way more painful and humiliating than he’d been expecting. “Right, well, thanks for clearing that up.” his throat is so tight, that he doesn’t know how he gets the words out. 

“Please let me finish.” Eddie takes a steadying breath. He’s such a coward. _ Speak _ , he tells himself, _ now _ ! “I don’t just like you, Evan, I am so in love with you I don’t know what to do with myself. That’s what I was trying to tell you in the locker room. I love you. I love you _ so much _. I want to be with you, I want you to be a way bigger part of my life, a bigger part of Christopher’s life. Please say yes.” 

“Ok.” 

Eddie tilts his head. “Ok?” 

Buck nods, slowly coming out of his stupor. 

Eddie laughs, something akin to happiness and relief and love, “Did I break you?” 

Buck nods. 

Eddie leans forward. “Can I kiss you?” 

Buck nods even faster. “Please.” 

It is so much better than the first time they kissed, if one could even call it that. It’s soft and sweet, Eddie kisses him like he’s something delicate, something to be treasured, it makes him want to cry. “I love you.” Buck says, when they break apart. 

“Yeah, no, I kinda’ got that.” Eddie grins, their foreheads touching. 

Buck rolls his eyes. “You’re the worst.” 

“Yeah, and you love me.” Eddie can’t stop grinning. 

“You guys are _ groooosss _.” 

Eddie and Buck jump apart, and look to the other side of the room. Looking right back at them, is a very wide-awake Christopher. He’s smiling widely. “Are you guys _ finally _together?” he asks, like an exasperated but very patient parent. 

Buck and Eddie break out into laughter. “Yeah, bud, we are.” Buck says. “Right?” 

Eddie leans down to kiss him again, lightly. “Right.” 

“I’m happy, but still, _ gross _.” Christopher makes a face at their smooching, but doesn’t stop smiling. Christopher thinks that it’s about time these two got a clue. 

  
  
  
  
  


Three days later, Buck is discharged from the hospital, but is told he is on strict bed rest for another week, at least. His ribs need time to heal, and the rest of him is one huge bruise, still. 

Eddie doesn’t let Buck argue, just brings him straight to his house after picking him up from the hospital. “You’re staying with me. Carla and I are looking after you, so shuddup.” 

Buck rolls his eyes. “I don’t need a babysitter.” 

“Even if you weren’t horribly injured, that statement still doesn’t ring quite true, sorry.” 

“Were you always this mean? Or is this like some boyfriend tier ‘perk’ I’ve acquired?” 

Eddie shrugs. “Nope, always been this mean, you just never noticed ‘cause of your giant crush on me, I guess?” 

Buck nods. “True, now that I can do this,” he leans over in the passenger seat and kisses Eddie breathless. “You’re not as big of a distraction as you used to be.” he smiles. 

Eddie clears his throat, the back of his neck going hot. 

Buck laughs at the look on his boyfriends’ face. 

Boyfriend. 

Eddie is Buck’s boyfriend now. Just thinking it makes him giddy. God, he's such a dork.

A very happy dork.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this whole thing got out of hand, but i swear chapter 3 will be the last chapter, which will obviously feature more whump for poor buck, super cute family domesticity, and some closure on the kidnapping. 
> 
> thanks for reading! :) 
> 
> (last chapter will be posted on the 11th at the latest)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a whoooole day late bc i didn't realize everyone at work would call out this week and i'd hafta cover every shift imaginable :) 
> 
> anyway this last chapter is pretty much just an excuse for buckley whump. no regrets. 
> 
> thank you for reading! <3

During the fall, Buck had sprained his left ankle, broken two ribs, bruised another, and gotten a pretty serious concussion. Not to mention that roughly seventy percent of his body was covered in open wounds from the gravel in the parking lot tearing him up. 

It's a miracle that Christopher got off with only minor scrapes and bruises in comparison. Or at least that's what the doctor had said, but Eddie knows that it was no miracle. It was thanks to Buck, literally using his entire body to shield Christopher when they fell. 

So when Buck stubbornly insists he's ok, and that he doesn't need help getting from point A(Eddie's bed) to point B(the bathroom) or getting dressed (the only two things he's allowed to really do for at least the next week) Eddie and Carla immediately shut him down. 

"Here," Eddie helps him lift his arms so that he can change his shirt, ignoring Bucks grumbling that he can do it himself. 

"Lay on your side." 

"Bossy." Buck complains, but complies nonetheless. 

Eddie takes out the prescription antibiotic cream he got at the pharmacy after Buck had been discharged, and uncaps it. "Here," Eddie gives him a pillow from the side of the bed to grip onto. Applying the cream, he found out the day before, is a painful process, which really sucks, since it needs to be applied twice a day to prevent the wounds on his back and side from getting infected. 

It breaks Eddie's heart to pieces when Buck lets out an involuntary whimper halfway through the process. "I know, I'm sorry," Eddie leans down to kiss the back of his head. "It'll be over soon, promise." 

Buck just nods, not trusting himself to speak. 

After another agonizing minute or two, Eddie pats his shoulder comfortingly. "There, all done. I gotta get Christopher ready for school but when I'm done I'm gonna come back and help you into a clean shirt. Gotta wait for this to dry a little, anyway." 

Buck nods again. "Kay." He looks worn out. 

Eddie runs his hand through Buck's messy blond hair. "You want some waffles?" 

Buck shakes his head. "Not hungry." 

Eddie sighs. "I know the meds take away your appetite but ya gotta eat something. Can't give you the Tylenol on an empty stomach, it'll make you sick." 

Buck is too tired from the pain to argue. "Kay." 

Eddie feels bad that he can't do more to help make him feel better, and on top of everything, after taking Christopher to school he's got to go straight to work. 

Thankfully Carla is on her way. 

Eddie makes breakfast, waffles, eggs, bacon, and cuts up a mound of fruits for everyone. 

"Can I eat with Bucky?" 

"Sure bud, but I'm warning you now, he's a little achy so he might not be very hungry, or in the best of moods right now." 

Christopher nods in understanding and they make their way into his room. 

Buck is still in the same position he was in when he left him earlier. Eddie sets the tray of food on the counter at his bedside and helps him sit up so he can put on a clean shirt. 

Buck lets himself be gently manhandled into the white tee without any whining this time. Eddie's pretty sure that that's only because Christopher's in the room and Christopher, who due to his condition, often needs help with getting everyday things done, rarely complains. 

Eddie props Buck up on top of a mountain of pillows so that he can sit up and eat. "Christopher wants to eat with you." He tells him, as he picks his son up and sits him down next to Buck. He grabs the tray of food and pushes the bowl of strawberries onto Bucks lap. "Try to eat those, ok?" 

Buck makes a face but doesn't argue, trying to set a good example for Christopher, who's watching him avidly. 

Eddie feeds both himself and Christopher simultaneously, a very handy skill he's developed over the years when he's in a rush (as he often is). 

Buck nibbles on the fruit reluctantly, but at least it's something. After this he can pop a Tylenol 4 and get some blessed pain free sleep for a few more hours. He's exhausted. 

"You're gonna be here when I get back right?" Christopher asks, hopeful, tilting his head to look at Buck with those big bambi eyes of his. 

Buck smiles. "Yeah bud, you're stuck with me all week." 

"Good!" 

Eddie laughs. "Ok, time for school kid. Up and at em." 

Christopher pouts, "Wanna stay with Bucky." He leans into Buck's side obstinately. 

Buck has zero idea how he's going to be a good step dad to Christopher, because if it were up to him? With that adorable cherub face? It's over. K.O. The kid has him totally wrapped around his little finger. 

Thankfully Eddie is fairly immune. "So do I, but I promise he'll be here when you come home. Plus, he needs his rest." He scoops Christopher up into his arms without further preamble. 

"Nooo!" Christopher laughs, as he's hoisted into the air. 

"Bye guys, see ya later." Buck waves at the pair. 

Eddie leans over and gives him a quick kiss goodbye. "Count on it." 

  
  
  
  
  


Buck wakes up a few hours later to the smell of chicken soup cooking. Despite the antibiotics he's taking, eating away at his appetite, the smell makes his stomach growl. 

"Good afternoon sleepy head." Carla greets him, cheerily. 

"Hey Carla. Smells really good." 

"That's my grandma's recipe for chicken soup." She says proudly. "It'll be done soon, and then we can finally get some meat on those bones. Eddie told me you haven't been eating enough." 

"That snitch." 

Carla laughs. "So, how're you two?" 

Buck turns pink and looks down at the covers. "Good." 

"Just good? Really?" She gives him a look. 

"Really good?" Buck coughs, embarrassed. "He's awesome, and Christopher's actually been taking it really well. I uh, I thought at first that he wanted his parents to get back together, and I felt super guilty at even the thought of squashing his hopes, ya know? But he's been great." Buck shrugs, doubt creeping in. "But, part of me is still scared he might just be pretending he's ok with this for his dad's sake." 

"Oh honey, no." Carly rubs his shoulder. "That boy loves you to the moon and back. And now he's got not just two, but three parents who love him to death. Christopher's very lucky." 

Buck gives her half a smile, his heart not entirely in it. "Yeah, I'm sure you're right." 

Knowing she can't say much else to convince the young man she gently pats his leg and tells him the soup should be ready by now. 

After several minutes Buck starts to wonder if something is the matter. "Carla? You ok?" He calls out. Eddie's room is at the far end of the house, which makes it hard to hear anything beyond Christopher's room and the bathroom. 

After another moment of silence Buck painstakingly makes his way up off the bed and grabs his crutches for support. 

Moving _ hurts _. 

He struggles past the pain and makes it all the way to the living room, where he catches the tail end of a clearly not so pleasant conversation. 

"Are you going to let me in already? You don't have to call Ed, he's at work right now, he's probably busy. You'll just be bothering him." 

It's Shannon, because of course it is. Carla looks annoyed. 

"Hey, everything alright?" Buck hobbles into the room fully. 

"What the hell are _ you _ doing here?" 

Carla steps in between the two so that Shannon has to stretch to see Buck, a few feet behind her. "Miss Diaz, Christopher is at school right now. I'm not trying to hide him from you. And even if he was here, Eddie specifically told me you are not allowed to see Christopher unless he's here to supervise. I'm sorry." 

Shannon looks about ready to lose it. "This is ridiculous! Tell Edmundo that if he doesn't stop messing around I will take this to court. I'm sick of this!" She throws an angry glare at Buck before turning around and leaving. 

Carla closes the door. "That woman is _ crazy _." 

"Tell me about it." Buck sighs. "What'll happen if she actually takes this to court?" 

Carla frowns. "I'm not gonna sugar coat it. Most family court judges take the side of the mother. But with her track record? I don't know." 

"This is bad." Buck bites his lip. "We should call Eddie." 

Carla nods. "I agree, but first and foremost, I'm gonna need you to get back in bed while I get you a nice big bowl of soup, ok?" 

  
  
  
  
  


Once he's settled back in bed, he eats his soup--though only half a bowl, having lost whatever little appetite he'd had earlier, after Shannon's impromptu visit. 

Right after, they call Eddie. 

"Hey Carla, everything alright?" 

"Hey hon, you're on speaker." 

"Hey babe." Buck purposely doesn't look at Carla, who teasingly mouths the word 'babe?' 

"Hey you. Did you eat anything?" 

"Yup. Some soup." 

"Only half a bowl." Carla tattles. 

"Traitor." 

Eddie chuckles. "Thanks Carla. Buck, we talked about this, you need to eat more. I don't want you getting sick on top of everything."

"I know." He sighs. "But listen, that's not why we called." 

Carla takes over. "Shannon dropped by, she thought I was hiding Christopher from her, even though I told her he's at school right now. She left pretty pissed off, and threatened to take legal action if you two don't come to some kind of compromise soon." 

Eddie curses. "I don't understand what her problem is. She didn't come see Christopher when he was discharged, over three days ago now or even bother calling to see if he was ok, since. Why now?" 

Buck grimaces. Poor Eddie has had so much stress piled on top of his shoulders for the last two weeks. It's not fair. 

"Something about that woman doesn't sit right with me." Carla adds. 

Buck agrees wholeheartedly but hadn't wanted to say anything earlier, for fear that Eddie might take offense. 

"I don't know what's going on in her head lately but I need to talk to her; this is getting way out of hand." Eddie sighs, "Thank you guys for letting me know." 

After hanging up, Buck feels awful. Not just physically, either. "That sucked." 

Carla nods. "It did. But it had to be done. Now, I need to go pick Christopher up from school, you gonna be ok by yourself for a little while?" 

Buck nods. "Yeah, don't worry about me."

"Impossible." Carla gets up off the bed. "Call me if anything. See you in a bit. Don't burn the house down." 

"I'll try." 

  
  
  
  
  


Buck is asleep again by the time Carla and Christopher get home. 

"Bucky!" 

Carlas attempts at telling Christopher he should be quiet are lost on the boy. 

  


Buck only kind of half wakes up. "Hey buddy." He mumbles. 

With Carlas help Christopher gets up on the bed beside Buck and gives him a hug. "Hi." 

  


Buck squeezes back lightly. "How was school?" 

Christopher excitedly goes on and on about his art class and his friends, and all the funny things that happened during lunch. 

Carla uses that distraction to prepare the boys an afternoon snack before dinner later. 

"And during recess, um," Christopher pauses, looking unsure. 

Buck pokes him on his side playfully. "C'mon, you can tell me." 

Christopher bites his lip. "Supposed to be a secret. But I wanna tell you." 

Buck chuckles. "I'm pretty good at keeping secrets." 

Christopher smiles. "Ok. Today at recess, mom came to visit. She was waiting for me near the fence." 

Buck nods, "Oh, I see. Did she say anything?" 

"Yeah. She said she wanted me to come live with her again. Um, but I don't really remember living with her. So I told her I wanna stay with you and dad. She looked kinda sad." Christopher frowns. "Think I hurt her feelings. She told me not to say anything but keeping secrets is weird." 

Buck nods in agreement. "Yeah keeping secrets isn't always fun. I'm really glad you told me, Christopher. And hey, you don't have to feel bad, ever, over saying no if you're not comfortable with something someone else wants from you, ok? You did exactly the right thing. I'm really proud of you." 

Christopher looks up. "Really?" 

Buck smiles. "Yeah, really. You did good." 

Afterwards they eat lunch and Buck helps him with his homework. 

Eddie gets home a little earlier than anticipated, bringing with him enough pizza to feed a small army. He invites Carla to stay for dinner but she declines politely and says bye to everyone before taking her leave. 

Buck feels like today's been an all you can eat marathon, even though he's only had half a bowl of soup, a handful of strawberries, and a few carrots with hummus, all day long. 

"Pizza!" Christopher cheers. Clearly they differ in opinions. 

"Hi to you too." Eddie laughs. 

Christopher grins. "Hi dad!" 

Because Buckley is limited in his movements around the house Eddie lets them all eat in bed. "Just until Buck gets better and can join us in the kitchen." He tells Christopher, so that he knows they're not going to make this a habit. 

Buck only eats one slice, and that's on Eddie's insistence. Eddie wonders if he's so quiet throughout dinner because he's in pain. Maybe the codeine Tylenol wasn't cutting it? Maybe he should talk to his doctor tomorrow. 

Once they've eaten and Eddie's gotten Christopher settled into bed for the night he addresses his concerns. 

"The pain meds not working?" 

Buck blinks. "What? No, it's fine." 

"You were kinda quiet tonight. Something the matter?" 

"Yeah, wanted to wait for Christopher to be asleep before I told you." Buck tells Eddie about Shannon going to Christopher's school and what she said to him. "I probably should have said something when you got home but I didn't really know how to bring it up with Christopher here. I told him I could keep a secret." 

Eddie is, understandably, pissed. "What the _ fuck _." He whispers harshly, fully aware of Christopher sleeping in the next room. "I can't believe this shit." 

Buck doesn't know what to say to make things better. It feels like all he's given him today is bad news. "I'm sorry." 

Eddie stops angrily pacing back and forth. "Shit, no, don't apologize. I'm not mad at you. You're just unfortunate enough to be the messenger. I'm really glad Christopher was able to tell you. He knows me and Shannon aren't exactly friendly right now, so I doubt he would've said anything to me." He sits down beside him on the bed. "Thank you for letting me know, really." 

Buck shakes his head. "It's ok to be upset and you're totally allowed to like, rant at me if you want. I know it's not me you're mad at." He shrugs, "I'm your boyfriend. Kinda my job to listen to you bitch." 

Eddie smirks. "Oh yeah?" 

Buck nods dutifully, "Mhmm." 

Eddie leans in so that their foreheads are touching. "Thank you. I don't know what the hell I'd do if I didn't have you. I haven't been this stressed out since Afghanistan." 

"I'm here for you. Carla too. And the crew. Everyone has your back Eddie. You're not in this fight alone." 

Eddie knows. And it makes him feel infinitely better about the situation. He holds Buck's face in his hands for a moment before kissing him on the lips softly. "Ok, enough of me wallowing. It's time for the ointment. Stop stalling."

Buck groans. "You saw right through me." He plays along. 

Despite his teasing, Eddie knows Buckley can't possibly be looking forward to the antibiotic cream. 

He has him lie on his side again, this time only lifting his shirt up above his chest, in hopes of lessening some of the pain that comes from having to lift his arms. 

Still, the process sucks. He's as gentle as he can be, but Buck still tenses up and whines in pain at the prodding. "Sorry, I know it hurts." Eddie tries to soothe. 

When he's finally done Buck sighs in relief. "Hate that stuff." He mumbles into the pillow. 

"Yeah, but at least it's over now." Eddie lays down next to him so that they're face to face. 

"How was work?" 

"Surprisingly uneventful. They wanna come visit tomorrow, but I told them I'd let em know if you're feeling up to it." 

"Yeah, for sure. That'd be awesome." 

Eddie runs his fingers through Buck's messy hair. "You sure? Carla said you didn't eat much today." 

Buck rolls his eyes. "You're both worry warts." 

Eddie nods. "Yeah but you gotta admit, you give us a lot to work with." 

Buck grins. "Gotta keep you on your toes." 

“Oh is that so?” the way Eddie says that does things to Buck, in terms of where all the blood in his body suddenly decides to go. Eddie takes notice. He smirks. “That all it takes?” 

Buck blushes. “Shaddup, it’s been a _ while _, ok?” Eddie leans in closer now. Buck can feel the warm rush of his breathe against his cheek, and the intensity of his gaze is almost enough to make him burst.

When they kiss, it’s not soft or slow like it’s been the last few days, it’s _ hot _ , and Buck can’t get enough of it. Their bodies pressing together is heaven. Eddie grinds against him, and Buck is so hard he ignores any aches and bruises he might be aggravating. All he can think about is how _ good _this feels; how Eddie’s hand over his hip feels like he’ll never let go. 

“_ Fuck _.” Buck can’t help it, he cums in his boxers, shaking against Eddie’s leg like a goddamn teenager. “Fuck, sorry.” he breathes out, when he’s done, thoroughly embarrassed. 

But Eddie’s staring at him like he’s trying his best not to jump his bones. “That was so fucking hot, Buck, holy shit.” he dips his head and kisses him soundless again. “Can’t believe you’re mine.” he mumbles between kisses; unceremoniously, he shoves one hand down his own boxers and two strokes later he’s following in Buck’s footsteps. 

God, Buck thinks, if he weren’t injured right now, the things he would do to this man. 

After several moments of bliss, Eddie cracks a rueful grin. “We should clean up.” 

Buck groans. “Boo.” 

Eddie laughs, “Promise I’ll be quick, c’mere,” he gently flips Buck over so that he’s face up and helps him scoot out of his shorts and then his boxers. Buck winces. “Sorry, I really shouldn’t have let it get that far.” Eddie had originally wanted to keep it to just making out, but the needy desperate look on Buck’s face the moment their bodies had made full contact was too much. “Your doctor’s gonna kill me if you show up next week with more injuries.” he sighs. 

“Worth it.” Buck huffs out, lifting his hips so Eddie can help him put on a fresh pair of shorts. “Thanks.” 

After they’re both wiped down and in clean clothes again, Eddie settles into bed beside Buck and they drift off to sleep. 

  
  
  
  
  


“_ NOOO! STOOOOP! PLEASE!” _

It’s a little past three in the morning when Eddie and Buck are awoken by Christopher’s screams in the next room over. 

Buck startles up in bed so fast every muscle in his back, not to mention his broken ribs, protest loudly. He ignores the pain and instead follows Eddie, who leaps off the bed and runs towards his kids room in record time. Buck hobbles behind less gracefully, but makes it to the door in time to see that Christopher’s had a nightmare. 

Eddie is sitting on his bed with Christopher curled up in his lap, crying. Of course the kid would have nightmares about what happened--anyone would. Buck feels like an idiot for not having considered the possibility, especially because Christopher, despite it all, was still so outgoing and his usual happy self during the day. 

“You’re home, baby, it’s ok, I gotcha.” Eddie murmurs in comfort, rocking them back and forth. 

“He came back.” Christopher cries, despondent. “Couldn’t get out of the car! He wouldn’t let me.” 

Buck thinks maybe he should go back to Eddie’s room, seeing that this is clearly personal, but in his panicked haste, he forgot to bring his crutches, so when he tries to quietly turn around, he makes more noise than intended. 

Christopher takes notice and immediately holds out both arms. “BUCK!” he cries. 

Buck holds himself up by grabbing onto the walls until he’s finally at Eddie’s bedside. He sits down and lets Christopher crawl into his lap and wrap his arms around his neck. “You’re here.” he sighs in relief. “You saved me.” 

“Always, buddy.” Buck holds him steady and rubs his back soothingly. 

Eddie smiles warmly at the sight. 

Christopher rests his head on Bucks’ shoulder. “Don’t wanna’ go to sleep anymore. Wanna’ stay with you.” he sniffles. 

Buck is about to tell him that yeah, absolutely he can stay with him, screw sleep and nightmares, but realizes giving in to childish demands probably isn’t good parenting, so he looks to Eddie for advice. 

Eddie shrugs. “You can come to bed with us, bud, but you gotta’ try and sleep, ok?” 

Christopher nods against Buck’s shoulder. “Kay.” 

Eddie gets up and grabs a reluctant Christopher from Buck. “C’mon.” he hoists him up easily with one arm and then offers his other to Buck. 

Buck takes the hand without complaint. He’s exhausted and all this moving around has left him feeling like he’s gone ten rounds with Rocky Balboa. 

When they get to bed, finally, Christopher falls asleep immediately, tucked safely between the two people he knows would never let him come to any harm. 

“I didn’t realize he was having nightmares.” Buck says softly, into the darkness. It’s only his second night staying with them. The first night he’d still been on hospital meds, so he might’ve slept through Christophers’ screams, for all he knows, which makes him feel terrible. 

Eddie sighs. “Not every night, this is his second one since he got home. His first was right after being discharged. He was calling out for you that time, actually.” 

Buck gulps. He remembers the day after being discharged they’d come to visit, and Christopher had been particularly clingy, taking a nap during the middle of the day curled up against him in the hospital bed. Not that he’d minded. “Oh.” 

“He’s been talking to the school counselor, at the principal's recommendation, ever since I put him back into school. I just hope it’s helping some.” 

“That’s good, I’m glad he’s talking to someone about what happened.” 

Christopher stirs in his sleep abruptly, turns over and rests his head against Buck’s chest, his tiny hand gripping at his t-shirt. He settles down after that, snuggled up warmly. 

“I know I’ve said it a million times and you’re probably tired of hearing it, but thank you.” Eddie reaches out to hold his hand and squeezes. “If you hadn’t been there that day, or done what you did…” 

Buck squeezes back. 

  
  
  
  
  


The next morning Eddie lets Christopher stay home from school. He’s exhausted from the nightmare and it shows. 

“Sorry Carla, he had a rough go of it last night.” Eddie apologizes, knowing she was only expecting to be helping Buck during the day. 

Carla shakes off his concerns, empathetic to his plight. “Don’t worry about it.” 

Buck and Christopher sleep in until nearly noon, and wake up to the smell of grilled cheese and tomato soup. 

The day passes quietly enough. Christopher’s usual playful attitude is a bit subdued today, which isn’t unexpected after last night. 

While Christopher is watching cartoons in the living room, Carla applies the antibiotic ointment on Bucks’ side and back, wincing in sympathy as he breathes harshly through the pain. “Thanks.” Buck sighs, muscles unclenching, when she’s finished. 

Carla pats him on the arm. “You gonna’ be alright?” she eyes him worriedly. Eddie had told her he didn’t have the heart to wake the boys up this morning and had warned her that the application of the ointment was a painful process for Buck, but there’s something about the way Buck is holding himself that raises Carlas’ hackles. 

Buck, stubborn mule that he is, just nods. “Yeah, just takes a minute.” 

Truthfully, he’s kind of nauseous. He only ate half the grilled cheese sandwich and even less of the soup earlier, but can feel the contents of his stomach rebelling against him. The doctor said it might be a side effect of the pain meds, so Buck doesn’t bother telling Carla. It would just worry her unnecessarily. 

He decides to try going back to sleep. Can’t feel sick if you’re unconscious, after all. 

He’s drifting in and out of sleep when he hears something at his door. “Bucky?” 

He sits up, swallowing hard when his stomach threatens to upchuck the little he’s eaten. “Hey buddy, what’s up?” 

Christopher makes a face. “Mom is here.” 

Buck nods. “Oh, ok, uh, gimme’ a sec.” it takes him a minute, but he’s up, a crutch at either side, and following Christopher into the living room, despite wanting to stop by the bathroom to barf, on the way there.

“Answer my question. Why isn’t my son in school today?” 

“How would you even know that?” Carla puts her hands on her hips. Eddie had called the school this morning to tell them he was keeping Christopher home today, so it’s not like the school had called her. And even if Eddie hadn’t, the school only had Eddie, Buck, and Carla herself as emergency contacts for Christopher. 

Shannon practically snarls. “That’s none of your business, you uppity bitch. Let me see my kid, _ now _.” 

Buck puts a hand on Christopher’s shoulder and tells him to go into Eddie’s room and wait for them there. Christopher looks reluctant but still obeys. Once he’s down the hall, Buck steps further into the living room. “Hey, you need to go, now, before I call the cops. Enough is enough. You need to stop barging into places with demands. I know for a fact that Eddie text you last night and asked you to lunch so you guys could have a civilized conversation about all this, you never replied, so I don’t understand what you think you’re doing here.” 

Shannon turns to Buck sharply. “_ You _ need to stay out of this. Eddie is _ my _ husband. Christopher is _ my _son. You’re just some dumbass kid playing house! You don’t know shit about raising a family, and you don’t know shit about sacrifice, and you certainly don’t know shit about me. So you can shut the hell up and mind your own goddamn business!” 

Buck ignored her outright. “Carla, get your phone and call the cops, please. Tell them we’ve got an intruder in the house refusing to leave.” 

Carla doesn’t hesitate. She takes her cellphone out of her back pocket and starts to dial 9-1-1. 

Shannon leaves, but not before telling Carla where she can shove her 9-1-1 call. 

Carla puts her phone away with a profound sigh. “I’m still not sure I shouldn’t call the cops. This is twice now she’s done this. I feel like she’s escalating. God, and poor Christopher, please tell me he didn’t hear any of that.” 

Buck leans his entire body against the doorway frame tiredly. “Honestly, I don’t know what he heard.” he covers his mouth and swallows hard. “Shit. Can I get a bucket?” he doubts he’ll make it to the bathroom in time. 

Carla, after many years as a nurse, has developed fire quick reflexes at this point, and there’s a small plastic bin under him in less than half a minute. “Let it out, hon.” 

He throws up every single thing he ate today, and then stomach bile after that. He dry heaves painfully for a few minutes before it’s over. His chest hurts like hell. “Gotta lie down.” he feels his knees nearly give out, but thankfully Carla is there at his side, and together they get him onto the couch. 

Buck groans in pain, rubbing his chest to ease some of the ache. Throwing up with broken ribs is _ not _fun. “I’m gonna get you a heating pad, hold on baby.” 

Christopher, who at some point during the commotion, snuck back into the room, is sitting by his head, running his fingers through Bucks’ hair clumsily. “Are you ok?” 

Buck opens his eyes and looks up at the hovering face of worry. “Yeah, Christopher, just my stomach and the meds not mixing super well right now. But I’m ok. You ok?” 

Christopher bites his lip and looks away. “Why is mom so mad? She called Carla a bad word. That wasn’t nice.” 

Buck wants to get up and grab the poor boy and never let go, but he’s got no strength to even lift a finger. “Sometimes adults say things they don’t mean when they’re upset. I can’t really explain it right now, but I need you to know that none of this is your fault. All of us adults are just being weirdos.” 

Christopher cracks a small smile at that. “You guys _ are _weirdos.” he agrees. 

Carla comes in with the heating pad a few seconds later and places it over the side of his chest where the two broken ribs are. “That should help.” 

“Thanks Carla.” 

  
  
  
  
  


Eddie gets a text halfway into his shift about the situation at home. 

“Everything ok?” Bobby asks. 

Eddie shakes his head. “Shannon came over again. I don’t get it, I texted her last night and nothing, and today she’s knocking at my door yelling about Christopher not being in school. She shouldn’t even _ know _that.” 

Hen frowns. “Maybe you should consider getting a restraining order. It sounds like she’s escalating.” 

Chim nods in agreement. “You’ve tried reaching out and instead of taking the olive branch she’s decided to take the whole dang tree.” 

“Yeah, and all this isn’t helping Evan recover, either.” Eddie scrubs his face with his hand. “Carla said he threw up and has been laid up on the couch since the confrontation. They nearly called the cops on Shannon.” 

Bobby furrows his brow. “Should we postpone the visit for another day?” 

Eddie shakes his head no. “Buck has been looking forward to seeing you guys. I can tell he’s been itching to get back out here with us. I don’t want Shannon to ruin this for him, too.” It’ll be at least another three to four weeks before Buck will be deemed fit enough to get back to work, and Eddie knows a visit from his fire family will cheer him up. 

  
  
  
  
  


Everyone gathers at the Diaz home later that night. There are cupcakes-- “homemade!” Chim insists, but Maddie laughs and says he most definitely got them at Wal-mart--chips and dip, and burgers. It’s a lively event. 

Buck is happy to have everyone here. He just wishes he didn’t feel like death warmed over. Carla makes him eat some leftover soup from the day before, since his stomach can’t take anything else at the moment. His appetite is so bad he can’t even bring himself to be jealous of everyone else eating burgers. 

He’s sitting up on the couch, but just barely. Most of him is leaning against Eddie’s broad shoulder. “Your PDA is both unbearable and adorable. Congrats.” Chim teases them. 

Buck would normally flip him off, but Christopher’s in the room. “Who invited you again?” 

“Rude. I’m a model guest.” 

“On what planet?” 

Eddie laughs at their back and forth. “You guys are so dumb.” 

_ You’re just some dumbass kid playing house! _

Buck blinks. Why the hell is that in his head right now? 

Eddie notices the shift in mood. “You ok?” 

Buck nods. “Um, yeah, just uh, gotta use the restroom.” 

“Ok, here, let me help.” 

Buck shakes his head, “I’m fine. Thanks.” he grabs his crutches, ignoring the confused look on Eddie’s face as he hobbles off. 

Once he’s in the bathroom he gets on his knees in front of the toilet bowl and and tries to breathe through the nausea that’s returned full force. Guess his stomach couldn’t even handle soup. He hopes the conversation outside is loud enough to drown out his vomiting, but no such luck. 

“Buck, you alright in there?” Bobby knocks lightly. 

Buck moans into the porcelain bowl and throws up some more before replying. “M’ok.” 

“Not really buying that, kid.” Bobby turns the doorknob, surprised to find that it’s open. Buck must have been in such a rush to get in that he’d forgotten. He walks inside and bends down to rub Bucks’ back as he heaves yet again. He’s sweaty and hunched over awkwardly, holding a hand to his chest. 

“Hurts.” Buck whines, his breathing ragged. 

“You’ve been throwing up all day?” Bobby touches the back of his hand to Bucks forehead, worried now. 

“Yeah.” Buck answers raspily, right before leaning over the bowl again and gagging on bile and saliva. 

Bobby’s starting to think that there’s literally nothing left in his stomach to vomit up, when he sees blood. “Crap, Buck, we need to take you to a hospital.” 

Buck shakes his head, “Wait, don’t tell everyone, s’just gonna’ freak Christopher out. Get Eddie to take Christopher to the kitchen or something. I don’t want ‘im to see me like this. Just gonna give him more nightmares.” 

Bobby nods. “Don’t worry, I gotcha.” he takes his phone out and texts Hen orders and then texts Chim to get the truck ready to go. He’s proud of the man Buck has become, prioritizing Christopher; he’s going to be an amazing step dad to the kid someday. 

Bobby keeps rubbing his back as Buckley dry heaves and coughs up more blood, wishing he could do more. 

Eddie’s at the bathroom door in less than a minute. “Oh God, Evan!” he gets on his knees beside the captain to comfort his boyfriend. “What happened?” 

“I think he’s bleeding internally. All the vomiting hasn’t helped his broken ribs. We need to get him to a hospital. Chim’s got the car ready to go downstairs. Need you to help me carry him.” 

Eddie nods and they coordinate themselves so that they’re at either side of Buck. “Don’t wan’ Christopher to see this.” Buck mutters, leaning his head on Eddie’s shoulder weakly. There’s blood on the front of his shirt. 

“Don’t worry, Carla has him.” Eddie assures him. 

By the time they reach the hospital Buck has thrown up twice more, and is having trouble breathing. 

Chim paces back and forth in the waiting room, on facetime with Maddie. “Yeah, no, nothing yet, sorry.” 

“It’s ok, keep me updated please. Tell Eddie Christopher’s fine. I told him Buck had a stomach ache so you guys went with him to the doctor. I didn’t wanna’ worry him. We’re gonna’ clean up over here so they don’t hafta’ come home to a disaster zone.” 

Eddie overhears the conversation but is too anxious with worry to say anything, though he is grateful for everyone’s help today. He would’ve been scrambling with both Buck and Christopher if he’d been all by himself. 

When the doctor comes out to greet them, they all stand at attention. “How is he?” 

“He’s going to be fine. We had to insert a tube into his chest to drain all the blood in his cavity. I’m going to prescribe him a different antibiotic. I understand the one he’s taking at the moment gives him a lack of appetite? Taking his pain meds on a nearly empty stomach made him nauseous, which made him vomit, and the exertion from that caused the bleed, due to his broken ribs. I’m hoping a change in meds will prevent that in the future.” 

Eddie nods, grateful. “Thank you doctor. When can we see him?” 

“In a couple of minutes, the nurses are still settling him into a room. We’re gonna leave him on an IV to get him some nutrients and rehydrate him, but in a few hours you should be able to take him home.” 

Eddie thanks him again. 

“That’s a relief.” Bobby sighs. “That kid’s gonna end up shaving years off my life.” 

“Mine too.” Eddie agrees. 

Chim facetimes Maddie again to let her know everything is alright. 

Buck is wearing an oxygen mask to help him breathe, but he’s awake, more or less. “Hey.” he starts, taking off the mask. 

Eddie rushes over to him. He kisses him hard on the mouth just once before securing the mask back over his face. “Keep that on or so God help me.” 

Chim coughs loudly, “So uh, yeah, see? He’s fine.” 

Eddie blushes furiously. He totally forgot Chim has Maddie on facetime. Oops. 

Maddie laughs. “Ok, I’m gonna hang up now. Love you Buck!” 

Bobby tries not to smile but it’s near impossible. He walks over to the other side of Bucks’ hospital bed. “Hey kid, how’re you feeling?” he rests one hand on his forehead. 

Buck leans into the touch subconsciously and closes his eyes. “Better. Tired.” 

Bobby rubs tiny soothing circles against his hairline, with his thumb. “Get some rest son.” 

Buck, half asleep already, murmurs softly. “Thanks dad.” 

Bobby swallows past the lump in his throat. God, does he love this kid. His kid. 

“We’ll leave you two alone. Let us know if you need anything, ok?” 

Eddie nods. “Thanks Cap. Thanks Chim.” 

Chimney waves him off. “Anytime man. Let him know he owes me new car seat covers.” he grins. 

Eddie laughs quietly. “Will do.” 

  
  
  
  
  


Nearly three weeks later, Buck is finally up and about, without the use of crutches. His ankle is still a bit tender, and of course his ribs still need a couple of weeks to fully heal, but at least he’s able to move around on his own now. 

Living with Eddie and Christopher has been really good. He thought maybe he’d be homesick and want to go back to his place, have his own space and some privacy again, but in reality, he’s dreading going back. 

He’s going to miss waking up next to Eddie. Lately, since he’s able to drive again, now that he’s only taking regular grade tylenol for the pain, and not codeine, he’s been picking Christopher up from school. He’s definitely gonna miss doing that. Seeing Christopher’s excited face when he spots him in the crowd of parents is something he doesn’t think he’ll ever get tired of. 

Shannon and Eddie did finally get together to talk, but that ended in disaster, with his ex-wife deciding that she will take this to family court, after all. 

The custody hearing is coming up soon. Buck is nervous as all hell over it. 

Eddie’s an amazing dad, he served as a decorated medic in afghanistan. and he’s a hell of a firefighter to boot. There’s no doubt in Bucks’ mind that he’ll get custody. What worries him is that the judge will also decide to give Shannon partial custody during the weekends or something. He’d prefer she get visitation rights at the most. 

There’s something about that woman that makes Buck very anxious. He just can’t quite put his finger on it. 

Buck shakes the thought away and gets in his truck. It’s almost three o’clock. He’s going to be late for pickup if he dawdles any longer. 

The thunder storm raging outside certainly isn’t helping. 

  
  
  
  


Athena curses. “Why the hell didn’t anyone look into this?” 

The detective balks. “We have a lot of open, active cases right now on our desks. The kid was found alive--a _ huge _win--and the perp died later of natural causes in the hospital before we could question him. We did a preliminary search of his home but didn’t find motive for the kidnapping, so the case went cold and we had to move on. There just aren’t enough resources around here to justify digging further into an open and shut case.” 

Athena sighs and shakes her head. Unfortunately, as annoyed as she is, as a cop herself, she does understand the detectives’ reasoning. 

She’s glad she decided to look into it herself. After Bobby told her about Eddies’ ex-wives odd behavior in the last few weeks, she started to suspect that something was off, but hadn’t said anything. It was a long shot, after all, and she needed solid proof before throwing accusations. 

And now, it turns out her suspicions had been correct. 

She makes a call. “Eddie, I need to tell you something…” 

  
  
  
  
  


“It was her.” Eddie thinks he might actually be physically ill, after hanging up with Athena. 

“Hey man, what’s wrong?” Chim grimaces. Eddie looks green. 

“It was Shannon.” 

“What was Shannon?” Hen asks. 

“The kidnapping. Athena just called. She--she wanted to give me a heads up on the case, before an arrest was made. She said she found communications between Shannon and that guy, Richard, that she hired him to take Christopher from me. It was _ her _.” Eddie can’t believe it. 

Hen gasps. “Oh my god. What the fuck.” 

Bobby brings a chair over and gently pushes Eddie into it before he keels over. “Take a breath.” 

Eddie shakes his head. “Why would she do that to Christopher? He’s had nightmares for the past _ month _ over this, what the hell was she thinking? _ God _.” he puts his head in his hands, dismayed. “Athena’s sending two uniformed cops to arrest her right now, she wanted me to know first, since this is probably going to be all over the news tonight. How am I supposed to tell Christopher?” 

“You’re going to go home right now, and you’re going to break it to him as gently as possibly, and it’s going to be awful, but you and Buck will be there for him if he has any questions or wants to cry or needs a hug.” Hen squeezes his shoulder. “This is horrible, Eddie. I’m sorry.” 

Eddie is eternally grateful for the people in his life, who seem to support him no matter how bad things get. 

“C’mon, I’ll give you a lift.” Bobby offers. 

“Thanks.” his nerves are too shot to drive safely at the moment. He’s about to get up when his cell rings again. He kind of wants to ignore it after the last conversation, but then he sees that it’s Athena. “Hey, everything ok?” he puts her on speaker. 

“Eddie, where’s Christopher right now?” 

That is _ not _a question he wants to hear right now. He looks down at his watch. “It’s almost three, so uh, he should be in school, Buck should be on his way there now, why? Is he not in school? What happened?” 

“The officers I sent to your ex-wives place were gunned down when they tried to make an arrest. She’s in the wind right now. I’m sending cop cars to your sons’ school right now, just as a precaution. I think maybe that’s where she’s headed. I’m also sending patrol to your house in case she’s waiting there.” 

Eddie doesn’t reply, he hangs up and speed dials Buck. “Pick up, c’mon, pick up! He’s not picking up, something’s wrong.” he panics, frantically looking at the captain for answers. 

Bobby nods at the other two firefighters and they get into gear quickly. “Let’s go, we’re going to Christopher’s school. We’re taking the engine, it’ll be faster. C’mon, let’s move it people!” he hauls everyone into the rig and turns on the sirens. “Keep calling Buck.” he tells Eddie. “Hen, call the school, we need to warn them.” 

The storm outside is raging. 

  
  
  
  
  


Buck is waiting in the auditorium with all of the other parents. Normally they wait in the courtyard, but the rain and thunder outside is insane, and the school doesn’t want to risk the health of the children. 

“Ugh,” he hears one mom complain. “I get no signal down here.” 

He checks his phone. Zero bars. Oh well, he’s already beaten every candy crush level on his phone. That’s what happens when you’re stuck at home for a whole month with nothing else to do. 

The kids are being brought into the auditorium in droves, two classes at a time. Buck keeps an eye out for Christophers’ teacher, Miss Lena. 

He thinks he spots her head in the crowd, when suddenly people start screaming and running. 

Buck looks around, confused by the panic. That’s when he sees her. Shannon is standing in the middle of the room, looking wild and unhinged, waving a gun around. “Where is he?!” she yells. “Give me Christopher Diaz and no one else has to get hurt!” 

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Miss Lena cover Christopher with her body, shushing her students. 

“Shannon!” he calls out, directing her attention to himself. 

“Why the _ fuck _ are you here?! Christopher is mine!” Shannon seeths, pointing the gun at him. Everyone near him starts screaming and trying to find cover. It is absolute chaos. “Everyone stop moving or I will start _ shooting _into this crowd of children, do not test me!” 

Buck’s eyes go wide at even the possibility. “Shannon, I’m only here to pick up Christopher’s homework. He stayed home from school today. He’s not feeling too good. You don’t want to hurt any of these kids, you just want Christopher right? You can take me as hostage. We’ll go to the house and get him. He’s with Carla right now.” he lies. 

Shannon narrows her eyes. “Oh yeah? I don’t need you for that.” she tilts her head, raises her gun and shoots. 

She’s aiming for his chest, but her aim isn’t perfect. She ends up shooting him in the arm. 

It’s a burning hot white pain that courses through his shoulder; he falls to his knees and grips at his bloody arm, breathing out in pain. 

“BUCKY!” Christopher cries out, coming out from behind his teachers’ dress. 

“Christopher no!” Miss Lena tries to stop him, but Shannon has already set her sights on him. 

Buck forces himself to stand up. He’s closer to Christopher than she is, but he knows if he tries to move toward him she won’t hesitate to shoot again. And this time she’ll probably aim for his head. 

Outside, they hear sirens. 

“Shannon, it’s over.” he huffs. His fingers are numb and the blood pooling at his feet is increasing. 

“For you, maybe.” she points the gun at him again. 

“MOM STOP PLEASE!” Christopher brushes his teachers’ hand off his shoulder and makes his way to Buck without any qualms for his own regard. “LEAVE HIM ALONE!” he yells, tears streaming down his face. 

Buck stares at this tiny little thing standing in front of him, one arm splayed out, _ protecting him _. He’s in horrified awe of Christopher. 

Shannon pauses. She looks stricken. “Christopher, baby, can’t you see I’m doing this for our family?” she’s a horrible shot, if she shoots and hits Christopher, she’ll never forgive herself. She needs him to get out of the way. “Honey, I need you to _ move _. I promise I won’t shoot him. I just want to talk.” 

“You’re lying.” Christopher sobs. “You already shot him!” 

Buck is losing too much blood, too fast. He can barely stand straight. 

Shannon grinds her teeth, addressing Buckley. “Tell him to move out of the way, or I will shoot, and if I hit him it won’t be my fault, it’ll be yours, for using a child to shield yourself, you coward!” 

Buck shakes his head. “If you want to shoot me, you’ll hafta’ come closer.” he grips at Christopher’s shoulder, keeping him in place. 

God, he hopes this works. He squeezes Christophers’ shoulder and hopes he understands. 

Shannon hesitates. She’s not an idiot, but she also doesn’t have many more choices at her disposal. The cops have probably surrounded the building by now. She just needs to get Christopher. 

“Fine.” she marches up to Buck, gun in her hand extended and pointing right at his head and the moment she’s within reach Buck shoves Christopher out of the way as hard as he can and grabs her wrist, wrestling for the weapon. 

It goes off once, twice, three times into the air and parents are scrambling, screaming and running to find their offspring. 

Buck has been weakened severely by blood loss, and Shannon’s fueled by her rage. She presses her fingers into Bucks’ wound and watches him cry out and crumple to the floor in agony. 

She laughs, a cruel sound, aims her gun directly at his head and shoots…

  
  
  
  
  


Three gunshots. _ Three. _

Eddie’s crawling out of his skin. That was three too many. 

“We’re heading in!” he hears someone authoritative in uniform yell out. 

He doesn’t hesitate to follow behind the s.w.a.t. team, Bobby, Hen and Chim by his side. 

Parents are screaming, children are crying, teachers are panicking. 

It is _ mayhem _. 

But there, in the middle of everything, is Shannon, standing over Buck, who’s crouched on the floor, holding his arm. 

She aims and shoots as one of the s.w.a.t. members takes his own shot. 

Shannon falls to the floor like a marionette doll whose strings have been cut. 

Buck collapses, too. 

There’s blood everywhere. 

Eddie can’t move. He’s hyperventilating. 

  
  
  
  
  


“Bucky?” several feet away Christopher is lying on the floor, both hands over his glasses. Buck had told him to cover them as he’d pushed him out of the way, but that last gunshot was louder than the rest. He’s scared. He wants to look and make sure Buck is ok. 

Buck groans, slowly sitting up. “Christopher no, stay over there, keep your eyes closed, remember? Don’t look.” 

“Ok.” he replies, voice wobbly. “Can you come over here? I’m scared.” he sniffs. He’s trying to be brave, but it’s hard, and there’s such a commotion around him, so many people yelling and crying. 

“M’comin Chris, stay there.” Buck is finding it very hard to stand up, but he needs to get to Christopher, so he crawls the few feet over and once he’s within reach he squishes Christopher against his chest and feels like he can breathe again. “Don’t open your eyes, ok?” 

Christopher nods against him, letting out little hiccupping sobs. 

It takes Eddie way too long to make his way through the crowd of panicking civilians. His heart is pounding a million beats a minute. He thinks it might burst in his chest. 

When he finally makes it past everyone his boys are huddled together. Buck has his chin atop Christophers head, shielding him from seeing all the blood, from seeing his mothers’ prone body. 

They’re both shaking. 

“_ Evan _ , _ Christopher… _ ” Eddie throws himself over the two most important people in his life, holding them tight. “You’re ok, you’re really ok, oh my god, _ god _.” his breathe hitches. His world is no longer on the verge of collapse. 

“We need to get Buck to a hospital.” Bobby hates to break them up, but not all of the blood on the floor is Shannon’s. 

Eddie looks up at the captain in surprise. “What?” he looks back at Buck, “You’re hurt?” 

“Just a scratch.” Buck sighs. “Hurts like a bitch though.” 

“That’s a bad word.” Christopher chimes in quietly, still pressed up against Buck. 

“Oof, that’s a whole dollar in the swear jar. My bad.” Buck blinks blearily. “M’ really dizzy.” 

Eddie looks at the amount of blood his boyfriend is drenched in and gapes. He wants to say that that is most certainly not just a scratch, but he also knows Buck probably downplayed it for Christophers’ benefit. 

He waits until Bobby and Hen have got Buck, holding him steady, before picking Christopher up, making sure he’s facing away from Shannon. Chim runs over to them, carrying a stretcher. 

It says a lot about Buck’s condition that he’s not insisting that he’s fine walking to the ambulance. He lets them prop him up on the stretcher without a word of complaint. He’s frighteningly pale. 

  
  
  
  
  


The hospital is packed. The storm means a lot of vehicular accidents on the roads. 

A gunshot wound trumps sore neck from a car accident, fortunately, so Buck gets wheeled into the ER immediately. 

Not so fortunately, the hospital is running low on his blood type, and he needs a lot of it. Bobby and Hen both have his blood type and instantly volunteer to donate. 

Eddie feels useless. He can’t do anything but wait. He can’t donate blood or help the medics. He just needs to wait. He hates waiting. 

Chim sits with him and Christopher. Christopher is on Eddie’s lap, head resting on his shoulder. “Is Bucky gonna’ be ok?” 

“Yeah buddy, you heard him. Just a scratch. He’ll be fine.” 

“He screamed when it happened.” Christopher mumbles into his dads’ shirt. 

Eddie holds him tight. “That sounds awful. I’m sorry you had to see that. But he’s gonna’ be ok. And when he’s out of here we’re gonna’ take him home and wrap him up in bubble wrap.” 

“Promise?” 

“I promise.” 

Maddie gets to the ER half an hour later and also donates blood. 

After that, it’s a waiting game. 

Bobby gets them all coffee and donuts from across the street--apple juice for Christopher. 

The police show up eventually and talk to Eddie. They tell him his ex-wife was pronounced dead on the scene. They inform him that the only reason Buck is even alive right now is because Shannon had run out of bullets. Her clip had been empty when she tried firing at Buck a second time. 

They need to interview Buck, but that will have to wait until he’s out of surgery. They’d like to interview Christopher, but they need Eddie’s permission to do so. He politely declines. “He’s been through enough.” 

The doctor comes out hours later with good news. “He lost a lot blood; the donations really helped. He’s very lucky the bullet only nicked his artery, or it could have been much worse. He’s going to recover nicely. He’s in room 34B if you’d like to see him.” 

  
  
  
  
  


Buck is still asleep. He would look almost peaceful, if it weren’t for the stark white bandage wrapped around his arm and torso. He stirs when they enter the room, wincing. 

“Shh, shh, don’t try to move, you’re in the hospital.” Eddie tells him. 

“‘Gain?” 

Eddie makes a noise that’s torn somewhere between a laugh and a sigh. “Yeah honey, again.” 

“Where’s Christopher?” 

“Right here.” Eddie sits Christopher on the edge of the bed, making sure not to agitate any of the wires or tubes. 

“Hi Bucky.” Christopher’s lip wobbles and then he starts to outright cry, his tiny frame shuddering. 

“Aw no, no, baby, I know, c’mere.” Buck uses his good arm to tuck Christopher into his side and peppers the top of his head with kisses. “It was scary, I know. But we’re ok now. We’re gonna be ok.” 

“Thought she was gonna’ make you go away.” Christopher sobs, burrowing into his side. “I don’t want you to go.” 

Buck holds him close. “Not goin’ anywhere.” 

Christopher nods but doesn’t bother budging an inch. He’d happily stay cocooned against Buck forever, if it meant he knew Buck was safe. He knows that lady is supposed to be his mother, but he’d just as well never want to see her again. 

Maddie shows up at his other side and leans down to kiss her baby brother on the forehead. “I’m so glad you’re ok, you giant goofball.” 

Buck scrunches up his nose at her. “Am not.” 

“Are too.” she teases. 

The rest of the crew take turns picking on Buck after that, but mostly they thank god he’s alive. 

Chim shrugs. “Sucks about the longer recovery period, but look at the bright side. I still get to be the most handsome firefighter at our station for another four weeks.” 

Buck scoffs. “My boyfriend owns that right already, but thanks for playing.” 

Eddie turns red, shy suddenly as everyone in the room makes ‘oooh’ noises at him. 

When Christopher falls asleep beside his Bucky, they decide to head out of the room and let him get some much deserved rest. “We’ll be back tomorrow.” Hen promises. 

Buck is exhausted. His eyes drooping as he says goodbye to the crew and his sister. 

Once they’ve all dispersed, Eddie sits down on his other side and breathes out a long sigh. 

“You ok?” 

Eddie looks up. “You’re really asking me that?” 

“Sorry, ‘course you’re not ok. Dumb question.” 

“No, no, I meant that you’re here laid up at the hospital. _ Again _ . Asking _ me _if I’m doing ok.” he shakes his head. “You’re something else, you know that?” 

Buck nods. “I’ve been told.” 

Eddie leans back, his expression hardening. “It was Shannon all along. She arranged to have Christopher kidnapped so she could take him away from me. I was freaking out about how on earth I was supposed to tell this sweet little kid that his mom is the one who made him go through that hell in the first place. And then...then she fucking _ topped _it. How the fuck do you top having your own son kidnapped?” Eddie can’t wrap his head around any of it. 

“You shoot up their school?” Buck cringes. “Sorry, too soon. Can I blame the meds?” 

Eddie actually laughs, “That’s _ horrible _. You’re horrible.” 

Buck nods. “Also been told that.” he sighs. “Seriously though? I’m sorry. This whole thing has sucked. I feel so bad for Christopher. All I want to do is give him twizzlers and buy him race cars and I don’t know, take him to Disneyland or something.” 

Eddie nods, fully in agreement. “This is a really weird thought, but it’s been a _ day _, so I’m just gonna say it. We can legally get married now.” 

Buck blinks. The drugs must be messing with him. “What?” 

Eddie backtracks, having realized what he just said. “Uh, not like, _ now _. I just mean, eventually, like, a few months, or a year, I don’t, it’s up to you, obviously, I’m just saying that...I’m going to shut now.” 

“You want to marry me?” Buck stares at him like he’s grown two extra heads. 

Eddie simply nods. “I love you.” 

Buck looks down at a loose thread on his covers. “Your proposal needs work, but um, I want to marry you, too, just for the record.” 

Eddie smiles softly. “I’ll work on it.” he leans in and kisses Buck. 

“This fake boyfriend things really got out of hand, huh?” 

Eddie snorts. “You’re the worst. Are those going to be your vows? My abuela will kill you.” 

“Yeah, but it’ll make Chim laugh.” Buck retorts. 

“Oh yeah, then by all means.” Eddie rolls his eyes. 

Buck yawns, opening his mouth so wide Eddie swears he hears his jaw crack. 

“Go to sleep, I’ll be right here.” 

Bucks nods, already drifting. 

  
  
  
  
  


Buck wakes up in a cold sweat, breathing hard. 

Eddie’s next to him, turning on the lamp on his bedside. “Hey, what’s wrong? Is it your arm?” It’s only been a couple of days since Buck was discharged from the hospital. 

Buck shakes his head, even though his shoulder does smart. “Need to see Christopher.” he mutters, without a full explanation. He’s out of bed and in Christophers’ room, watching him sleeping soundly, within minutes. 

The sight of the kid in bed, safe and sound, makes the tension in his muscles lessen. Behind him, Eddie is careful not to startle him. Buck’s been a little jumpy since getting shot. “You alright?” 

Buck nods. “Yeah, yeah, I just, I had a weird dream.” he shakes his head. “It’s nothing.” 

Eddie frowns. “You can talk to me, you know.” 

Buck turns around, uncomfortable. “It’s fine. I’m going back to bed. G’night.” 

Eddie follows him to bed. He knows Buck needs his rest, but he doesn’t want to let this go. “You need to talk to someone about this Buck, it doesn’t even have to be me, but I _ am _here for you.” 

Buck would turn over to face the other way, but that’ll only aggravate his injury. “I’m fine. Please leave it, seriously.” 

“That’s not going to happen, sorry. I’m worried about you Evan.” 

Buckley sits up, holding himself stiffly. He bites his lip, trying to rein in his emotions, but it’s not so easy. His breath hitches and involuntary tears spring into the edges of his eyes. He covers his mouth but sound still comes out, and then he’s sitting there, crying on the side of the bed like a baby, before he knows it. 

Eddie’s at his side instantaneously, trying to shake his surprise at the sudden out pour of emotion. “Buck, baby, what’s wrong?” 

Buck can barely get the words out. “When she shot me, Christopher stood in front of me,” he cries. “She wanted to shoot me again but he just stood there with his little arm out, like he could catch a fucking bullet.” he’s trembling now. “What if the gun had gone off? I just keep seeing him lying there and I can’t,” he shakes his head, “I can’t get the image out of my head.” he remembers how hard his heart had been pounding, how scared he’d been. “Christopher’s so _ little _.” his voice cracks on the last word and he lets out another harsh sob. 

Eddie gathers Buck in his arms. “Let it out, I’m here.” he cards his fingers through Bucks’ hair and lets him cry and cry and cry, until his throat is so dry and he’s so dehydrated, that the tears refuse to come anymore. “Here,” he hands him a water bottle and has him drink some, to avoid getting too big a headache. “Look at me, are you really surprised he would do that? He loves you, Evan, so damn much. You have to know that by now. Not to mention he’s my son, so he’s got that hero complex down, pat.” 

Buck sniffs. “You’re not funny.” 

Eddie tucks Bucks’ head under his chin and rubs his hand up and down his back comfortingly. “I know. ‘Wanna check on Christopher one more time?” 

Buck nods, wiping the tears from his cheeks. 

They stand at the doorway to Christopher’s room and watch the kid sleep for a while, before Buck is satisfied that Christopher is ok and everything is well and right in the world again. 

“Don’t you ever wish you could put him in a plastic bubble or something?” 

Eddie nods. “Oh yeah, since the day he was born. Welcome to parenting.” 

Bucks rests his head on Eddie’s shoulder and yawns.

Eddie puts an arm around his waist and leads him to their room. “How’s the arm?” he asks, when Buck groans as he gets back into bed. 

Buck sighs. “Sore,” he admits. “But no more than usual.” The doctor said he would be in pain for the next couple of weeks, and the guy wasn’t kidding. Every little movement, whether intentional or accidental, made him want to gnaw his arm off. 

Eddie makes a noise of sympathy, “Here, let me.” he goes on Buck’s other side so that he’s facing his back instead, and gently massages him, starting at the neck and kneading down his spine and back up again. He makes sure not to even graze the shoulder, but works around it, his fingers moving expertly. 

It’s not very long before Eddie has lulled Buck into a deep sleep. He kisses the curve of his earlobe softly and curls himself around the younger man, giving in to his own exhaustion.

**Author's Note:**

> here's the tumblr post which inspired this mess: 
> 
> Fake dating AU where instead of Eddie getting back together with and kissing his wife in 2x07, he panics and tells her that he has a boyfriend, despite the fact that he hasn’t been on a single date since she abandoned left them, let alone started a serious relationship with anybody. When she starts asking questions about him, and later to meet him- “For Christopher, Eddie. I might not have been doing a good job of it lately, but I’m still his mum and I still care about him; I deserve to know whose apart of his life now, especially if it’s a big a part as this.” -Eddie panics more and starts talking about the first person that comes to his mind: Buck. 
> 
> Cue Eddie nervously approaching Buck the next day and asking him to come to dinner with him and his unofficial ex-wife as his boyfriend to help cover up his lie and Buck eagerly agreeing because that’s what friends are for right?
> 
> and I had more but it’s late and I’m tired and my brains refusing to cooperate with me enough to get it all down. 
> 
> -@writer-grace


End file.
